The Desk
by flamingosarepeopletoo
Summary: It started when Lucy vented to herself by writing on her desk and forgetting to erase it. Then, a mysterious flutist from the class after hers begins replying to her writing. Who knew that from this simple gesture, Lucy would begin to open up to this stranger and tell him things she never told anyone? NaLu. High School AU.
1. Arc 1: Their Friendship

**Here I go, starting a new multichap fic when I have one going on already. XD So this is a little High School AU I thought up a few days ago and just decided to roll with it. I don't really have anything solid planned out yet, so we'll see where it ends up going.**

 **If you're already familiar with my work, you'll know my update schedule varies. I'll try to not have too big a gap between chapters, though.**

 **Enjoy this first chapter! Please make sure to tell me what you think in the reviews! :)**

* * *

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Heartfilia had a lot to say about life. One, it was pointless. Two, it gave people too much hope. Three, it can snap into pieces at any time without warning. That was how it was for her. That was how it had been for the past eight years.

"Lu-chan, are you alright? You seem to be spacing out over there," her best friend, Levy, told her. The bluenette waved her hand in front of Lucy's face, trying to get her attention. "You know how that always works out, don't you? If you don't listen, Loke-sensei will catch you and ask you a question."

"Oh, sorry Levy," came Lucy's reply.

Lucy sighed, rubbing her temples. She mentally groaned, trying to pay attention to the English class she was in. There was only one more class for the day after this one before she and her friends would be going to hang out in town. Lucy was excited. It had been a while since she had been able to meet up with people after school. Her father never allowed it.

Her father never allowed anything.

Lucy shook her head, not wanting to think about her old man. That never did her any good, and she knew it.

As soon as the bell rang, Lucy scrambled out of her seat, stopping once to bid her teacher goodbye and grabbing Levy's hand to lead her to their next class.

"I actually have to…" Levy said, looking towards the front door. "I promised Gajeel I would compare homework answers with him."

Lucy followed her gaze curiously, her eyes landing squarely on a pack of boys she recognized from the grade yearbook. There was a boy with slick dark black hair, and besides him was a tall, muscular guy with tanned skin and piercings. To his right was a shorter, goofy looking salmon-haired boy who was currently talking to him.

Lucy smirked, seeing how Levy's gaze was directed mostly towards the guy with the many piercings.

"I see," she said, nodding once towards her friend. "I'll go on without you, then. Have fun!" Lucy shot her a wink, before gliding away, ignoring the multiple protests she got from the shorter girl.

As she walked towards the door, her eyes involuntarily made perfect contact with the pink-haired boy's. He didn't seem to notice, going back to what Lucy presumed to be an argument with the black-haired boy besides him.

…

After school that day, Lucy gathered with her five other girlfriends, sliding into a seat at the table outside an ice cream parlor. Lucy played with her spoon, mixing the creamy chocolate and the specks of caramel together for the perfect blend she loved so much. It was rare for her to get a chance to enjoy a bowl of ice cream like this, and she was not going to let anything ruin it.

"How are you girls doing," Mira asked, arriving at the table with her single scoop of vanilla ice cream. "I heard you were out with Jellal yesterday, Erza."

Erza visibly blushed. "Mira, you do not need to feel pressured into exploiting me like that," she said simply, taking a bite out of her own dessert. Mira shrugged, not seeming to be bothered by her words.

"You know you like it," Cana teased.

"Juvia is happy for Erza-san," Juvia smiled.

"Yeah Erza," Lucy grinned. "No need to feel shy about it. We all are avid fans of your boyfriend, and you have our approval."

"Thank you, Luc- Wait, what boyfriend?"

The girls sniggered.

"Everyone's pairing up slowly, it seems," Mira muttered under her breath, but everyone could hear her.

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Levy stuttered, making the others raise an eyebrow at her.

"Seriously, Levy?" Lucy laughed. "We all know about how you feel about Gajeel Redfox."

"Oh! Isn't he in the English class after ours?" Erza questioned, humming in thought. "Big, bulky, and with many piercings? Am I talking about the same boy as the one that has caught your eye?"

Levy's eyes widened, swiftly punching Lucy in the side. "Lu-chan! You traitor!"

Her best friend's eyes shone with mirth. "Sorry not sorry, Levy-chan!"

"You guys have English with Loke-sensei, right?" Mira asked. "Lisanna's in the second class. The one after yours."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. There are two English classes, right? Class 1 and Class 2."

Erza nodded. "Yes. We're in Class 1, and Gajeel and Lisanna are in Class 2."

"Juvia and her Gray-sama are in Class 2 too!" Juvia suddenly exclaimed.

"Oh right. He's your boyfriend, right?" Levy said. "I think I saw him with Gajeel today."

Juvia nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"

Lucy couldn't help the massive grin erupting onto her face. Her mind was officially occupied by something other than her father, and was more than grateful for the distraction her friend's provided. No one knew about the situation with Jude. Not even Levy. And Lucy was content in keeping it that way for a while.

That happiness was quickly sucked from her once she got home. Lucy breathed a sigh of anxiousness, slipping her shoes off and walking slowly into the living room where her father was undoubtedly waiting for her.

"Lucy," Jude started, not turning to look at her. His large chair's backside was currently facing her. "Where were you?"

Lucy gulped. "I was out with my friends, Father," she said quietly, playing with her fingers. "You had told me you would be working till late, so I thought it would be okay if I-"

"You never asked me. Nor did you inform me of your absence for the afternoon."

Lucy gulped back an angry retort. She ran through the list of possible replies she could give to the older man, before settling on an uneasy "I apologize."

"You are a Heartfilia girl, Lucy," Jude continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I don't want you socializing with people of less social standing than you. You may not understand at your age, but who you talk to has a big influence on how you appear to the world."

"They're my friends, Father," Lucy protested.

"Good thing they're only your friends, Lucy," Jude said. "I can't imagine how it would be if you were to suddenly decide you were to become the girlfriend of someone of less social class than you!"

Lucy bit her lip, not answering.

"Furthermore, I wish to plan a few marriage interviews for you in the coming future. Let me know which dates work best for you."

Not wanting to hear any more, Lucy quietly huffed, turning on her heel and swiftly walking out of the room.

She instantly made a beeline for the grand staircase, wanting to get inside the safety of her room as soon as possible. She ignored the worried looks she got from the other maids and workers of the household and quickly entered her bedroom, slamming the door hard behind her.

Lucy fell to her giant four-poster bed, completely willing to spend the entire night there, drowning in her tears.

…

The next day of school ran smoothly for the blonde, except the fact that her thoughts always seemed to drift to her father and their conversation from the day before. Lucy tried to forget about it and focus on the day before her, but it was proven much too difficult.

When it was time for English class, Lucy trudged into the room with Levy and Erza on either side of her.

"You've been acting a little weird all day, Lu-chan," Levy said pointedly, giving her best friend a concerned look. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm wondering that too, to be honest," Erza added.

Lucy gave them both a reassuring smile, though both of them could sense it was a little forced.

"Nothing's wrong, girls. But thank you for the concern," Lucy said.

Levy and Erza nodded, taking their seats in the middle of the classroom. Lucy went to hers too, which was right behind Erza and to the left of Levy.

She sighed, directing her attention to Loke-sensei who was just about to begin the lesson.

As he started to educate them on proper nouns and pronouns, Lucy let her mind dare to wander back to her previous thoughts about her dad.

Tears begged for their release, but Lucy willed herself to not give up so easily. Her hand flirted with the pencil she was holding, twitching it a few times in her grip.

Then, without realizing what she was doing, she began to write on the desk.

 _Father's at it again. I don't know what to do anymore. He keeps scolding me for the choices I make. Yesterday I went out with my friends and I didn't bother to tell him. When I came home, he started yelling at me because he doesn't think my friends are of enough social class to be having any contact with me. Well I'm sorry, Father, but I love my friends and you can't do anything about it.  
Sometimes I wish I wasn't born into this family. If I wasn't, then maybe I wouldn't have to suffer in this way. Everything's been going wrong since Mom died. Everything. I don't know what to do anymore. I need help. I'm going crazy. I cry myself to sleep too much. Is this normal? Am I okay? Is what I'm doing acceptable? Am I really just seeking attention like my father claims?_

Lucy froze, suddenly realizing what she was doing. She set her pencil down, putting her face in her hands and sitting there for a while. She drowned out the voice of her young teacher, her mind completely occupied by her out of control emotions.

The class dragged on for another half hour before the bell finally rang, signaling it was time for the final period.

Lucy rubbed her temples, rising from her seat and grabbing her things. She gave Levy and Erza a small smile before walking up to the door. The boys from yesterday were there again, and Lucy was able to make out a bit of their conversation.

"... Flame-brains, you know what I mean," the black haired boy said.

"Oh shut up you icy freak!" The pink-haired boy yelled back. "It isn't like your girlfriend is anything special!"

The other boy scoffed. "Juvia is great," he replied simply, crossing his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You have no room to talk. You haven't had a single girlfriend in your entire life!"

"Oi!" the pink-head retorted. "I'm single 'cuz I wanna be!"

Lucy spared a glance at the duo. She had recognized her friend's name in the raven-haired boy's speech, meaning he must be the infamous Gray Fullbuster. Juvia's boyfriend of three weeks. Lucy didn't recognize the other boy by name, but she had seen him more than enough times after class to know that he existed.

"Natsu!" a familiar voice said. Lucy then turned to see Lisanna Strauss, Mira's younger sister, waving out to Gray and the pink-haired boy.

"Oh, hey Lisanna," he said. Lucy presumed his name was 'Natsu' from what the white-haired girl had just said. "What's up?"

Lisanna glanced over to where Lucy was, shooting her a quick wave and smile. "Hey Lucy!" she said in her usual cheerful demeanor. Natsu then looked over, catching Lucy's eye as well, but saying nothing.

Lucy forced a smile. "Hi Lisanna," she offered, quickly nodding once before walking out of the classroom.

She could faintly hear Natsu say, "Who was that?"

…

"Lucy, can you come in here for a second," Jude called out to his daughter later that afternoon. Lucy groaned, walking into the room and rubbing her eyes. She looked at her father with an expectant look.

"Well here I am. What is it that you want, Father?"

Jude beckoned her forward, holding out a few documents and papers.

"I'd like for you to look through these promising bachelor candidates I've picked out for you," he said, giving the papers to her with a curt nod. "Let me know which ones catch your interest, and I'll set up meetings with them."

Lucy looked at her father in shock.

"Father, I never agreed to any of this," she said quickly. "I'm not even eighteen yet!"

"But you will be soon," was her dad's answer. "And I want to be prepared for the day of your marriage, for it is coming sooner than you think."

"I'd like to choose my future husband for myself, thank you very much!" Lucy cried. "I want to marry for love, Father! Not for your business deals!"

"You will soon learn to love these men," Jude said back.

"I want to choose my own partner!" Lucy retorted.

"Lucy," Jude started in a warning tone. "This is what's best for the family. You need to learn to accept the fact that things can't always go the way you want."

"Oh trust me, Father," Lucy bitterly replied, "I've learned that well enough over these years. You never let me do anything I want anyway. Everything's about the business for you."

"The Heartfilia Railroad Company is-"

"I really don't care," Lucy interrupted in a low voice. "I want to have a life for myself. I don't want to be kept under the shadows of the business anymore. I don't want to marry anyone yet!"

"You have to."

"I will marry when I see it fit!" Lucy said.

"You will follow my orders!" Jude suddenly snarled, his voice getting dangerously louder. "You will not back answer to your father! You _will_ choose a few men from this list and I _will_ set up meetings with them."

Lucy stopped. Her eyes filled with hot tears, but she willed them not to escape.

"Go back to your room," Jude continued, turning back around and looking out the large window in front of him.

Without a word, Lucy retreated with the documents in her sweaty hands. Once she was safely outside Jude's office, she broke into a run, headed straight for the comfort of her bedroom.

…

The next day, Lucy trudged through her classes like usual. She was somehow able to keep up with the conversations she had with her friends, but found it hard to keep up her concentration in class.

Finally, it was time for her favorite subject. English.

Lucy walked into Loke-sensei's class, taking her regular seat and opening her notebooks and papers. She willed herself to listen to the entirety of the class, taking notes and copying down what Loke was writing on the board as per usual.

Then, she saw it.

Right where she had written her vent the day before, there was new, fresh writing. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized she had forgotten to erase the things she had written about her father yesterday. She silently cursed herself for being so stupid.

But it looked as if whoever sat in her seat in Class 2 had taken the liberty to erase what she had written themselves.

And leave a little reply in its place.

 _Well that sucks. Your Pops sounds like a pretty strict guy. Sorry, you probably weren't expecting this. I shouldn't've done this. Bleh, whatever. Here I go.  
You're completely in the right here, ya know. Don't let what your dad says get to ya. I know whenever my adopted dad gets on my nerves, I just take a deep breath, count to ten, and go out for a walk. Maybe you could try something like that. Make it a routine, ya know? Whenever your daddy does something bad to ya, just go outside and get a bit o' fresh air.  
You must really be brave. I can tell, and they call me the most clueless guy around! Having to deal with all of this every single day must be pretty tiresome, eh?  
I'm sorry about your mom. I guess I know where you're coming from. A bit at least. I never knew my real parents, but when I was taken in it was… nice. Yeah. Nice. Your mom must've been nice too. And pretty. Because I'm sure that you're a very pretty girl.  
Nice people are the best, don't ya think?  
About crying yourself to sleep and worrying about if what you're doing is normal… don't worry, it is. I would do the same. I _have _done the same. And I'm not a big cryer, either.  
You can do it. I believe in you.  
Feel better soon._

Lucy tried to stop the tears from falling. She didn't do anything for a while.

After almost the entire class period had passed, she quickly erased the message the mysterious person had written her and quickly wrote her own little reply.

Whoever this guy was, he had made her feel good. He had made her feel _better_.

So for the rest of that day, she didn't force any smiles. She laughed genuinely. She let herself enjoy her last class.

That day, she went home feeling happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Aye, I'm so happy people are liking this so far! ^_^ Thanks so much for all your sweet reviews! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Natsu Dragneel tugged at the bottom of his shirt, blowing his salmon-colored hair out of his eyes and looking straight ahead at the door to his next class: English. He held his textbooks and flute case in his right hand and a note excusing him for the last thirty minutes of class scribbled in messy kanji in the other. He had a band performance to play in, which allowed him to leave school early.

"Heyo," he said, flashing the class a big grin and taking his regular seat in the middle back of the classroom. He didn't pay attention to what Gray and Lisanna were talking to him about as he slid his books into the desk and took out a pencil.

"Hey Natsu, wanna come with us for some ramen after class?" Lisanna asked, taking her usual seat next to him. Natsu shook his head, holding up his flute.

"Can't, sorry. Got a performance," he apologized, looking back up front and promptly ignoring what Gray was telling him.

"It wouldn't hurt to listen you bastard," Gray suddenly said in a low voice. Natsu jumped up, offering him a lazy grin in response.

"Nahh then I'd have ta' say sorry to my ears later," he replied.

"Why you-"

"Gray-sama!" a new voice interrupted. With that, Gray instantly turned to see his girlfriend walking up to him with a bright smile on her face. Gray grinned, getting up and smiling down at her.

"Hey, Juvia," he said, gesturing to her seat besides him.

Natsu scoffed. "Tsk. Smitten, much?"

"You little-"

"Good afternoon, class," Loke-sensei said, catching everyone's attention. Natsu and his friends looked over, ready to start the class.

It was then when Natsu remembered.

Yesterday, he had gotten a strange message on his desk. He was writing something Sensei was telling him in one of his notebooks and then noticed a paragraph of perfectly written kanji near the corner of his desk. When he read it, he was completely driven into shock at what the person had wrote.

From what it sounded like, a girl from Class 1 had vented on her desk, and from what Natsu could make out, she was not very happy about the situation she was in. Although Natsu didn't know exactly who it was, he was sure that he had seen her before. Even if he hadn't directly spoke to her before. The girl was having problems with her father.

Natsu could relate to that.

Without a second thought, he had quickly erased her writing and written a small reply.

And now it looked like she had responded.

 _Thank you. You're so sweet. Thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me, whoever you are. Let me start off my saying my apologies. I sincerely did not mean to write all that yesterday; I think my hand just started moving on its own.  
_ _Needless to say, I am happier now after reading your reply. I think I'll be able to bear with my father for the night, and I don't think that would have been possible if it weren't for your encouraging words.  
_ _I'm sorry too, about your own troubles. You don't need to feel obliged into telling me. Don't worry, I'm not one to pry. Feel free to say whatever you'd like if you really want to though. I'll always lend an ear.  
_ _Thank you.  
_ _I think I'm crying.  
_ _And no. I'm not pretty._

Sheesh, this girl was formal. And why was she crying, exactly? Was it because she was sad? Happy? Do people usually cry tears of joy after reading a message left for them by a total stranger? If they were strangers, that is. Natsu didn't know, and frankly, he didn't care. He was happy that he was able to help this girl out.

Natsu also took into account that this mysterious girl did not talk any further about her father, but instead asked him if _he_ was doing alright. Did that mean something important? Did she not want to talk more on the subject?

Natsu scoffed at the last sentence she had written.

Sure, he could be a bit clueless at times, but even he could recognize insecurities when he saw them.

And honestly, what was with all this formality?

Natsu hastily picked up his eraser, gliding it cleanly over the wooden desk and smiling triumphantly once the words were completely gone. He then picked up his pencil, holding it down to where his eraser just was and scrawling a few messy lines down.

 _Pfft no problem. Ya know, you don't hafta be so uptight with me. We're the same age and everything. No need to sweat it. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to help ya.  
_ _Lemme start off by saying that yes. Yes you are pretty. Don't ask me how I know that, but I just do. Okay? In fact, imma officially dub you as 'Pretty Stranger'. Hey, Pretty Stranger from Class 1. How's it going? My name's Handsome Hunk, and I'm from Class 2. Feel free to call me Handsome, Hunky, or Ooh La La. They're all good nicknames of mine. ;)  
_ _Oi! I know what yer thinking! I'm not cocky!  
_ _Okay, I surrender. Just trying to make ya crack a smile.  
_ _I hope things with your dad went okay.  
_ _P.S. Wanna keep these convos going? We could be secret penpals or somethin! Haha this is exciting!_

Natsu grinned to himself. Yes, it was a childish reply, but he couldn't help it. After everything, it was nice to finally let himself go in this way. Even if it was to someone he wasn't even sure of knowing for real.

"What's that you're writing?" Lisanna whispered, looking over and raising a pointed eyebrow towards his desk. Natsu blinked, looking up at his friend and quickly shaking his head.

"It's nothing," he replied hastily, looking back up to the chalkboard and copying down the notes he missed. He glanced at the clock, his mouth dropping as he realized what time it was. "Sensei!" he said, standing up and bowing slightly. "I have to go for my concert."

Loke nodded, waving towards the door. "Good luck, Natsu. Make sure you get the rest of today's notes from a classmate."

"Will do," Natsu nodded, gathering his things and walking towards the door. "Thank ya!"

…

Natsu walked into the large concert hall with a big smile on his face. He instantly went over to his seat in the front row of the stage, taking out a few pieces of sheet music and setting himself up on his stand.

"Natsu!" a new voice exclaimed, surprising him from behind. Natsu quickly flipped his head to see a young boy and a young girl standing behind him.

"Yeezus, Romeo. Ya scared me!" Natsu said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he nodded toward the girl. "Hey Wendy!"

The two small clarinet players grinned back at him.

"Are you excited for your big solo debut, Natsu?" Wendy asked, her eyes glowing brightly. "Even though I'm just a middle schooler, I can tell this is a really big opportunity for you!"

Natsu nodded. "Yup. This is my chance to get noticed by the big shots," he said. "And who knows, maybe someone will find me interesting enough and invite me to a bigger stage."

"Do you like playing flute?" Romeo questioned innocently. "I mean, no one ever thought you'd end up playing such a delicate instrument. No offense, Natsu, but you kind of… tend to be…"

"A bit…" Wendy continued, trying to form words as Natsu looked at the two of them curiously.

"Uh…" Romeo offered.

"Really nice and all…"

"A little…"

"A little what?" Natsu asked, blinking.

"How do we word this," Wendy sighed.

"You know what, nevermind," Romeo said with finality. Wendy nodded. "Just forget it."

"Alright," Natsu shrugged with indifference. "But to answer your question, I do like playing the flute! In middle school it was just because of a stupid dare Stripper made me do, but then once I started to play, it became a lot more fun! Don't you guys feel the same about your clarinets?"

Wendy and Romeo both instantly nodded. "Yes!" they said simultaneously.

"And even if we're still not in high school yet," Romeo added.

"We're still going to do our best!" Wendy finished for him.

"Awesome!" Natsu said, pumping a fist in the air. He then turned to the small bluenette with a sly smirk. "Okay so you know your brother's girlfriend, right?"

Wendy immediately blushed. "My b-brother's what?"

"Girlfriend. Erza Scarlet? Ring any bells?"

Romeo sniggered. "Oh my. They really took their relationship to that level already?" he asked, trying to smother his laughs as he watched his friend heat up.

"I didn't know about this!" Wendy exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. "Oh! I'm so embarrassed! I don't deserve to call myself Jellal-nii's sister! How have I not already heard about this new development?! Waaah!"

Natsu smirked. "You should go and tell Jellal to take his _girlfriend_ out on a date. I'm pretty sure Erza's dying of alone-time deprivation by now."

Romeo and Natsu exchanged a secret grin as they watched Wendy get more and more embarrassed.

"Hey what about you, Natsu?" Romeo suddenly asked, making both him and Wendy turn to face him. "Got yourself a girlfriend yet or what?"

"Nah," Natsu droned. "I don't need that kinda stuff."

"Oh but everyone needs someone like that!" Wendy insisted. "Come on, Natsu! Isn't there anyone who's caught your eye?"

"Nope."

"Anyone who you feel cutely attracted to?"

Romeo then added, "Anyone who you wanna get it on with-"

"Romeo-kun!" Wendy hissed, elbowing him roughly on his shoulder.

"But Wendy-chan!" Romeo tried to protest.

"How old are ya guys again?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Old enough!" Romeo said, sticking his tongue out at Wendy, who was busy trying to clear her head off to the side.

"We should get going," Wendy suddenly said, glancing at the clock on one of the walls of the room. "Come on, Romeo-kun. We don't want to be late for our entrance."

"Good luck, you guys," Natsu smiled, offering them a wave. "Show the rest of the clarinet players who's boss!"

"Good luck to you too, Natsu!" Wendy and Romeo said, waving back to him and running out the door backstage. Natsu grinned to himself, directing his attention back to the sheet music in front of him on the stand, taking out his flute and beginning to tune it.

"You're flat," the conductor said immediately once Natsu had played a test note. He looked up and shot the older man a weird look.

"I know I know! Just gimme a minute."

…

 _Pretty Stranger? I don't like it, but I won't stop you.  
_ _And no. I'm just going to call you Stranger. Plain. Simple. It's perfect.  
_ _You totally completely amazingly succeeded, by the way. I was totally able to crack a smile.  
_ _You're_ not _funny.  
_ _And hey! I'm not being uptight! I just met you, baka! It's natural to be a little distant when you first meet someone. That's completely normal!  
_ _Then again, I don't think you really classify as a normal guy.  
_ _P.S. Sure._

Natsu grinned heavily, the spring in his step suddenly a lot lighter. He looked around his English classroom, suddenly realizing that he still had classwork to do. Hastily picking up his pencil, he quickly copied down the notes and then asked Lisanna for the answers.

"Hey Lis, can I copy?" he asked cheekily, offering her a small smile. Lisanna, though, did not look amused.

"No way! Do your own work for homework!" she replied with a satisfied smirk.

Natsu pouted. "You're no fun," he whined.

Lisanna shrugged. "Maybe so. Good luck Natsu!"

Then the bell rang.

"See you around," Lisanna said, offering him a wave, gathering her things and exiting the classroom.

Natsu quickly picked his pencil up again, remembering that he hadn't yet replied to Pretty Stranger.

 _Just 'Stranger'? Boring much, Pretty Stranger?  
_ _Now I'm smiling.  
_ _So! Let's start ourselves a conversation, shall we? Hello. My name's Handsome Stranger. I'm seventeen. Class 2 English with Loke-sensei at your service. I have a cat named Happy. I play flute. Oh and I hate Gray Fullbuster. But then again, who doesn't?  
_ _Tell me some stuff about you, Pretty Stranger!_

…

And over the next few days, they were talking like best friends.

…

 _Alrighty then. My name's Not-Very-Pretty Stranger. I'm seventeen and in Class 1 English with Loke-sensei. I don't play an instrument, but I like writing, I guess. I have a dog named Plue. And I can think of one person who doesn't hate Gray Fullbuster._

…

 _Oh yeah? Who?_

…

 _Juvia Lockser! His girlfriend, obviously!  
_ _Really. You really are very dense, Stranger._

…

 _Oi! Girlfriends don't count! Of course Juvia likes Gray! That's so obvious!  
_ _And heyy you write? Can I read something o' yours?_

…

 _No. Absolutely not.  
_ _Besides, I promised my best friend she'd get to read everything first._

…

 _Aww, am I not your best friend, Pretty Stranger?_

…

 _For the last time, stop calling me that!  
_ _And no. You're not my best friend yet._

…

 _Key word: yet._

…

 _You're impossible!_

…

 _You love me._

…

 _It's happening again. I thought everything was okay now. I thought now that I had started talking to you, maybe I could feel better.  
_ _It isn't working anymore. Even though I'm so much better than how I was before I met you, it still isn't enough. My father is too much.  
_ _He wants me to give three marriage interviews in the next week. I'm not ready for this, Stranger. I don't want to get married, my God. I'm still in school! High school! I haven't even begun thinking about University!  
_ _Help me._

…

Natsu grimaced at the words that were written on his desk. He really had thought that things were getting better for her, even if she never really talked about her dad much anymore.

She had asked him to help her. How the hell was he supposed to help her do something he had no idea nor experience in? Pretty Stranger was going to get _married_ for Mavis' sake, even though she did not want to at all. What kind of advice was Natsu supposed to give to that anyway? What did he know about any of this stuff?

Nothing. Exactly. Zilch. Nada. Zero.

His hand flirted with the pencil in his grip, trying to figure out what to write as a reply.

"Oh screw it," he muttered, his utensil colliding softly with the wooden desk as he spilled the first words that came to mind.

 _I'm glad I was able to help take your mind off of it all. And I'm really sorry it wasn't able to work for long enough.  
_ _Hey, if ya really don't wanna go through with these things, just act really really disgusting at the interviews and make sure the men don't wanna come back for another! Hehe. Ya never know, it might just end up working out just dandily.  
_ _Tell me how it goes, 'aight?  
_ _Good luck, Pretty Stranger._

…

Lucy knew that this man was her early birthday present sent to her from heaven.

* * *

 **It's my own personal High School AU headcanon that Natsu's a flute player.**

 **I dunno. IJUSTLOVEITSOMUCHGAHHH~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the confusion! I had tried uploading the chapter from my phone using the app, but let's just say the app sucks when it comes to uploading chapters for stories, so I ended up deleting it again.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Thanks for all the reviews!**

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath, her fists clenched under her shawl and her eyes fixed on the front door to her mansion. She stood inside, her hair perfectly curled and plaited into two long braids that fell behind her ears. Her blouse was neatly fitted over her long feathery skirt. If it were up to her, she wouldn't have dressed this nicely, but her father had insisted.

Her first plan of action was to act extremely rude towards this first candidate. Stranger had recommended her to be weird around the marriage proposal men, and she was more than welcome into giving it a go.

The double doors were opened by the servants, who bowed low to her as the sun blared into the dark foyer and Lucy set her eyes upon her first victim.

He was tall. Blonde. Wearing a fine checkered suit. His glasses were a little loose, but Lucy knew that was just to add to the charm of pushing them up. He instantly walked up to her, taking her hand in his and kneeling down, kissing it lightly.

"Good afternoon, Lucy-san. My name is Pascal. It's a pleasure to see the beautiful face of my future wife so early in our relationship," he said politely with a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. He looked up at her, and just as Lucy had predicted, pushed his glasses up. Lucy could have sworn she saw him wink.

She instantly put on a rude demeanor, snatching her hand away from his grasp and crossing both arms underneath her bosom. She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Your charm has no effect on me. Do not address me so informally. Call me by my last name, or don't bother calling me at all."

There. That should set him off for a while. There was no doubt that he was expecting a perfectly nice little girl like her father probably had told him about. This Pascal guy was no match for her today.

She had a stranger on her side.

Pascal furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused.

"Um- Yes, Heartfilia-san," he said slowly, putting his right hand behind his back and offering her his left. "Shall we take a tour of the castle?"

Castle. She wasn't some sort of princess.

"I think it's called a mansion, thank you very much," she said hotly, refusing his elbow and keeping her hands firmly across her chest.

"Okay. If that is what you prefer."

Oh sweet Mavis he was formal. Lucy could somehow start to realize how Stranger must have felt during her first few notes to him.

She wanted to talk to him. She didn't want to be here. Stranger was beginning to cloud her thoughts and take over her mind.

"Let's just get this over with," Lucy sighed.

Pascal shot her a look. "Heartfilia-san. You… don't want to be here, do you?"

She blinked. "Not particularly, no. How'd you guess?"

Pascal offered her a small smile. "Common sense, Heartfilia-san."

Lucy pursed her lips and nodded, but didn't say anything. She fiddled with her fingers, now ready to kick things up a notch.

"I was expecting someone with higher class, that's all," she said, mentally slapping herself for being so insincere. Pascal looked alarmed, quickly running his hand down his suit and subconsciously fixing his hair.

"Sorry?" he said, thinking he misheard her. "I'm usually complimented for my grace and politeness towards women."

"How many marriage interviews do you have?" Lucy asked.

Pascal smiled dumbly. "You're my fifth, Heartfilia-san," he replied.

Lucy cringed. "It'd do you good to pick one of the other four," she said cautiously. Was that a little too straightforward? Should Lucy have been a little more careful with her wording there?

"That isn't really my decision, you see. My mother will most likely choose the wealthiest family for me," Pascal said.

Lucy stopped, knowing instantly who that would turn out to be.

"Wealthiest? What a scam," she said in an attempt to be ruder. "You should pick for yourself. Don't let your parents fool you around like that. Or are you too big of an idiot to realize something like that?"

He seemed to step back at Lucy calling him an idiot.

"Maybe this was a mistake," he started. "You really are not helping me out here, Heartfilia-san. If we are destined to be together, I don't think we have got off in a very good place as a start."

"Don't worry, I agree," Lucy snorted, before pointing back towards the front door. "Please and thank you."

Pascal huffed, grabbing the doorknob and sauntering out the large double doors.

The moment he was gone, Lucy sighed, dramatically dropping to the floor in relief and hugging her knees to her chest. The plan had worked splendidly.

She had to thank Stranger.

...

 _I did it, Stranger. I managed to shoo off that stupid Momma's boy and throw him into the cellars where he will rot in hell for eternity. How many points do I get?_

 _Thanks for the advice. I honestly don't even know how I would have done it if it weren't for your brilliant idea. Seriously, how are these kinds of men still around? He was too formal, too uptight, and seemed to only care about marrying me to make him better off money wise. Agh. I hate those kinds of people. Sure, my family is rich and all, but that doesn't give you an excuse to mistreat someone who could potentially end up being your wife!_

 _Sorry for the rambling, though I'm sure you're used to it from me by now._

 _How are things for you, Stranger? Everything okay in StrangerLand? I haven't heard of your own troubles in a while now. I've been so caught up in mine, and I'd like to thank you again for tolerating me so much._

 _I think I'm okay now._

Natsu clicked his tongue as he read Pretty Stranger's newest message to him. It looked like she had taken his advice seriously. Ironic, because he had only written it down as a joke. He didn't think she would actually do it.

Natsu grinned, grabbing his eraser and quickly making Pretty Stranger's words disappear from the desk. Then, he took his own pencil and began to form his own characters where hers once were.

 _You actually did it? Holy crap, Pretty Stranger. I didn't think you had it in ya! (No offense?) It's funny, cuz I only wrote all of that as a joke. It wasn't supposed to be taken seriously, but I'm glad it worked, I guess._

 _Things are okay for me. Nothing big's happened as of late. I'm glad about that though. My life's eventful enough already. You seem to be in a chipper mood today, eh? I'm happy for ya!_

 _Wanna exchange numbers?_

He stopped writing once he got to that part. Was it too soon to be asking for her number? He didn't even know her name, let alone other means to contact her.

Natsu gulped, debating whether or not to erase it out of view. His subconscious won his mental argument, though, as he set his pencil down and let the writing remain as it was.

"Hey you guys wanna hang out after school today?" Lisanna asked, leaning forward in her chair and spraying her arms over her desk. "We could invite some people from Class 1 too."

Natsu's ears perked up when he heard that. He turned to Lisanna with the goofiest look in his eyes.

"Yosh! Let's do it!" he said, pumping a fist in the air.

"Settle down, Flame Brains," Gray rolled his eyes just as the bell rung. "You got a girlfriend in the other class or something?"

"Shut up, Ice Freak!"

"Oh how Juvia wishes Gray-sama wouldn't fight with Natsu-san!" Juvia suddenly said, appearing behind her boyfriend and giving him a hard hug from behind.

"Hey, Juvia," Gray said casually, as if unaffected by his girlfriend's antics.

Natsu then saw as Lisanna caught the eye of some people that were passing outside the front door. She raised her hand to frantically wave at them.

"Levy! Lucy!" she yelled, running over to the door of the classroom and sticking her head out. Natsu stayed back, unsure how to approach the situation.

Two girls then entered the classroom, both of which Natsu recognized. One was short and had wavy blue hair. It was the girl Gajeel was always grunting about.

The other was a taller, slender-looking girl with long blonde hair that looked freshly crimped. Either that, or she had curled her hair the night before. Natsu shook his head. After knowing Lisanna for so long, he had gotten used to this kind of thing.

The first was Levy McGarden, and the other was someone apparently named 'Lucy'. Natsu recognized her from a few days ago, when she and Lisanna were talking right before his English class.

Levy was the first to speak up. "Oh hey, Lisanna. What's up?"

Natsu watched curiously as Juvia separated herself from her boyfriend, (shocking), and went to join the two other girls.

"Lucy-san! Levy-san! Would you two like to come with Juvia, her Gray-sama, Lisanna-san, and Natsu-san to hang out after school?"

Lucy grinned. "Sure!"

Lisanna smirked. "You seem to be in an awfully good mood today, Lucy," she said, elbowing her. "Something interesting happen?"

Lucy shook her head simply. "Not anything worth mentioning," she said. Her eyes roamed around the classroom, before she stopped and looked back towards Lisanna. "We should invite Gajeel to come along with us."

Levy's jaw dropped as Juvia and Lisanna squealed girlishly.

"Lu-chan!" Levy exclaimed, her face now rivaling Erza Scarlet's hair. "Why would you-"

"Did someone say my name?" a new voice interrupted. Everyone turned to see Gajeel Redfox standing there, his hands buried in his pockets as he looked at everyone with a less than amused smile.

Finally, Gray spoke up. "Gajeel, you should come with us."

"Where?" Gajeel asked.

"Around."

"Around where?"

"Just around."

"Shut up and make more sense, Fullbuster."

Natsu then snapped back to reality. His eyes locked with Gajeel as he raised his fist in an almost mocking way.

"We never finished what he started the other-"

"Can we keep the fights to a minimum today, guys?" Lisanna politely requested, tilting her head and butting into their conversation. "Natsu, you know better."

Natsu sheepishly smiled. "Sorry, Lis," he said, before shooting Gajeel a glare. "We'll finish this later."

Gajeel just snorted in response. "You mean I'll finish you later."

"It's the other way around!"

"Boys," Lisanna said, crossing her arms and pouting at both of them. "I expected better!"

"You're not our mother!" Natsu retorted.

Lisanna sighed. "Yes, but I can at least warn poor Lucy here that you two are not always like this," she said, turning to the blonde that was still standing by her best friend. Lucy's eyes widened as the attention was turned to her.

"W-what?" she said, her eyebrows lifting cutely above her eyes.

"You're new to the group," Lisanna stated, "which means you don't know a lot of these goofballs."

"I guess," Lucy shrugged.

Natsu just stared at her.

There was… something about her. She seemed a little familiar, to say the least, but Natsu was unsure where he knew her from.

"So. Meet Gajeel Redfox," Lisanna said, opening her arms in front of the bulky boy as if showing Lucy the newest piece of art. "He may look big, but he's a real sweetheart on the inside."

"He is," Levy agreed, causing everyone to look at her. Gajeel muttered something under his breath.

"And this is Natsu Dragneel," Lisanna continued, placing her elbow on the pinkette's shoulder and grinning. "We're childhood friends, and he's possibly the goofiest one here."

"Oi!" Natsu yelled. He looked back at Lucy. "Whatever. Nice ta meet ya, Luigi!"

Everyone facepalmed.

"Uh… it's Lucy," Lucy corrected slowly.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "That's what I said, Luce!"

Lucy turned to Lisanna. "I'm starting to see what you mean."

Natsu smiled cheekily, his eyes closing as his vision was temporarily blocked. He already liked this girl. There was just something about her that made him want to talk to her more.

"And I think that's all the newbies," Lisanna said thoughtfully, shooting Lucy another smile. "I think you'll do nicely in this group of ours. Welcome to the cool side, Lucy! We've been expecting you."

"We have?" Natsu and Gray said at the same time. They both stopped, turned to each other, and glared.

"Stop stealin' my words!" Natsu yelled.

"You're the one who's stealing!" Gray retorted.

"Grr… you wanna go, Ice Prick?!"

"Yes, I do wanna go, thank you very much!" And with that, Gray turned around, headed for the door.

Natsu quickly reached out, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him back.

"Oi! That isn't what I meant!"

"Natsu. Gray. Stop. Fighting," Lisanna said, walking dangerously close to them. "Honestly! I thought you guys wanted to make a good impression on Lucy!"

"You mean Natsu wanted to make a good impression on Lucy," Gray corrected. "I already met her a few days ago. Right, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded. "Juvia introduced us!"

"Ah, that's right," Lisanna said.

Natsu groaned. "I feel bad for ya, Luce. Meeting this ice freak before me must've been hard on you."

Lucy's face split into a grin while Gray turned to his rival and gave him a sweet glare.

"Gray isn't bad," Lucy answered.

Natsu mocked hurt. "I'm wounded, Luce."

"Ooh!" Levy suddenly exclaimed. "Lucy and Natsu! Lucy and Natsu!" she chanted.

"Levy-chan!" Lucy exclaimed, her face burning up.

"Bunny girl," Gajeel scoffed.

Lucy looked up. "Excuse me, what did you just call me?"

"A bunny girl. Yer' like a bunny," Gajeel said as if it explained everything.

"Uh… alright," Lucy shrugged.

"We should go," Levy said. "I have to be home before sunset."

Everyone nodded.

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked. "Should we invite Erza?"

"Erza's out with Jellal," Natsu said instantly, making everyone look over at him with wide eyes. "Thanks to me, of course."

"Natsu, what did you do," Lisanna asked.

Natsu smirked. "I told Wendy that her brother's girlfriend was dying from alone time deprivation. Jellal asked Erza out the next day. So I'm pretty sure my meddling worked out for once."

Gray snorted. "For once."

Lucy instantly squeaked, "Oh my gosh! That's awesome!"

Juvia nodded intensely. "Juvia is so happy for Erza-san and Jellal-san!l"

Natsu nodded. "Well, since they're not here, let's go to that smoothie shop down the street. Didn't they just open?"

Lisanna nodded. "Let's do it. I've heard their Strawberry Banana Blast is really good."

Lucy smirked. "Cough cough Mango Pineapple is better cough cough."

Natsu grinned, lifting his hand for a high five from Lucy. "I knew I liked you for a reason! Mango Pineapple is the best!"

"Actually, Peach Parfait is better than all of yours," Gray said, crossing his arms.

Juvia frowned. "Gray-sama, we've been over this. Juvia thinks that the Vanilla Creme Almond is better than Peach Parfait."

"Sour Kiwi is superior," Levy said, crossing her arms.

"I agree," Gajeel nodded in satisfaction. "But Mixed Berries are still better."

"Mango Pineapple!" Natsu and Lucy yelled, pumping both fists into the air.

"Strawberry. Banana. Blast," Lisanna said.

"Peach Parfait, Juvia!" Gray said to his girlfriend.

"Gray-sama, Vanilla Creme Almond!"

"Kiwis," Levy said.

"Berries," Gajeel retorted.

"Kiwis!"

"Berries."

"Kiwis!"

"Berries."

"Hey here's an idea, how about we all just get what we want," Lucy suggested, butting into the budding argument between the two.

"That's a good idea," Juvia agreed.

"See, Lucy's the only sensible one here," Lisanna said, shooting a pointed look at Natsu.

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?!"

Everyone laughed.

"Let's get going, then," Lucy smiled, waving out to them and exiting through the classroom door. "I have to be home soon anyway."

Natsu grinned after her, walking fast so he could catch up to the tall blonde. He watched as her silver curls fell loosely over her shoulder and her ballet flats moved swiftly through the school hallways.

Behind him, the others were smirking.

...

Lucy sighed, entering her house and leaning against the door. She was smiling ear to ear after that eventful afternoon.

She was just so happy. It was the first time in weeks she had felt this way. After hanging out with her new and old friends, she felt completely satisfied for the day.

"Lucy, I just got a call from the marriage interview's family."

And her good mood was officially ruined.

Lucy gulped, looking up to see her father standing in the doorway between the foyer and the living room.

"Yes?" she asked tentatively.

Jude's eyes were narrowed and his hands were clenched at his sides.

"How dare you be so rude to Pascal-san!" he exclaimed. "He is from a very wealthy family, don't you know? You completely ruined a perfectly good relationship!"

"A perfectly good relationship, huh?" Lucy sneered. "He mistreated me, Father! I had no choice!"

"Really now, because that is not what I'm hearing from Pascal-san's family!" Jude bellowed. "They said you were being extremely rude to him!"

Lucy bit her lip uncomfortably. "It's because I didn't like the boy."

"You don't like any of the boys!" Jude was breathing heavily now. "You just want to marry some lowly commoner from your school! If I had half a mind I would have never enrolled you into that blasted school in the first place!"

"Father! My school is not the problem here!" Lucy said, her voice rising. "I'm very happy at Fairy Tail High School!"

"Where were you today?" Jude asked in a low voice.

Lucy bit down a curse as she replied, "With my friends at a smoothie place. We had a lot of fun, Father, and I-"

"You are grounded, Lucy Heartfilia, for two weeks or until I see an improvement with hot attitude," Jude said, cutting her off. "After school you are to come straight home, do your chores, do your homework, and pick out a suitable bachelor for yourself."

Lucy's jaw dropped. "But Father, I-"

"No but's, Lucy. My decision is final."

"I don't have anything to do here!"

"I shall hire a tutor for your after school needs in any subject you want. Would you like to learn something new?"

Lucy breathed heavily, not daring tears to escape. "I…" She thought about it. "I want to better my knowledge in creative writing."

Lucy gulped as she watched her father think about this. She had taken classes back when her mother was still alive, but the day after she died, Jude had cancelled all of Lucy's extra curricular activities and made his mind set on finding her a suitable husband.

"Very well. I expect remarkable results," Jude nodded. Lucy could tell he thought that they had just made up, but she knew that was far from the truth.

The moment he gave her leave, she instantly fled to her room and began digging through her closet to find her old notebooks filled with stories from when she was younger.

That night, she drowned in the romance, fantasy, drama, and mystery novellas from her earlier years.

Suddenly, she felt inspired to write.


	4. Chapter 4

**A shorter chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it nevertheless!**

 **Y'all are such angels. Seriously. You guys say the sweetest things and I just- gahh *hugs self***

* * *

Lucy blinked.

Phone numbers? So soon?

 _Exchange numbers? Don't you think it's a little too soon for that? I mean, I really don't care… but you know how my father can be. If he finds out I've been in contact with a guy from school… let alone someone I've probably never even met before… I don't know. Things could get a bit messy, and I really don't want to drag you into any of this.  
_ _What do you mean you wrote it as a joke? Are you serious? I actually listened to that advice! Are you saying it was all just a fluke? Are you kidding me, Stranger?!  
_ _Well, I can't really complain. It did end up working out well for me, so thank you.  
_ _I feel like I'm thanking you at least once in all of my notes to you haha.  
_ _I've been making more friends, but I guess that doesn't really matter because my father decided to ground me for two weeks. Can't study with them, hang out with them, or do anything with them outside of school hours really.  
_ _Sometimes I really do wish I wasn't the daughter of a wealthy family. I wish I was just a regular student who doesn't have to worry about her impending marriage like the rest of my friends are._

Lucy sighed, setting her pencil down and looking back to Loke-sensei, who was currently teaching everyone something on conjunctions in the English language. Her pencil tapped impatiently on the desk as she shot Levy a glance from besides her. Levy gave her a small smile back, which Lucy returned as to not make her worry much about her. Lucy couldn't have that. Levy was too reliable when it came to that sort of thing.

At least she had Stranger, who was willing to hear her rant about pointless things all the time. At least, he didn't have a choice anymore. The thought made Lucy smirk evenly, the power she had over his actions during a peaceful period of English class was completely taken over by her, and she adored the attention he devoted to her.

Though she did wonder who exactly she was talking to in the first place. She knew it was a boy from Class 2 who played the flute, had a cat named Happy, and was extremely annoying.

It wouldn't be _too_ hard to narrow it down, would it?

"Levy, you go on without me," Lucy said to her best friend just as the bell rung.

"Oh, alright," Levy said, grabbing her things and beginning idle conversation with Freed and Bickslow, who were just passing by.

Lucy, however, quickly got out of her seat with her things in hand just as the people from Class 2 began piling in. She caught Gray's eye and gave him a short smile, which he returned. A few seconds later, Natsu joined in from behind him, and she waved at him. Natsu shot her a cheeky grin back.

Lucy walked up to where Loke was sitting, approaching him with a tentative smile.

"Uh… Loke-sensei?" she said, bowing slowly before looking back up at him.

"Yes, Lucy?" Loke asked, putting his textbook away and giving her a short nod. "Did you need something?"

"I was wondering if you could lend me a copy of the names of students in both of your classes?" she asked slowly.

Loke raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Just curious," Lucy bit her lip.

Loke then mysteriously smiled. "Alright," he nodded, opening up a random drawer in his desk and pulling out a single sheet of crisp white paper. "You can keep it. I have others," he said as he handed it over her.

Lucy smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Loke-sensei," she said once, before bowing again and turning to get to the door.

She was in such a rush, she didn't even notice the pink-haired boy sitting at her desk, scribbling away on the wooden platform.

…

Lucy heaved a sigh as she caught up to Levy, who was just about to exit the school grounds on her way home.

"Levy-chan!" she called out, causing the bluenette to stop where she was and look back over her shoulder. "Let's walk home together."

Levy grinned. "Really? Awesome! You aren't getting picked up by one of your father's attendants today?"

"Uh… what can one day hurt?" Lucy shrugged, awkwardly laughing. She cleared her throat.

"Why did you stay late in English today?" Levy asked suddenly as the two resumed a regular walking pace.

"I wanted to ask Loke-sensei for something," came Lucy's reply.

"For what?"

Lucy thought about what to tell her. Should she tell Levy about Stranger? Would Levy keep it a secret from everyone?

Oh who was Lucy kidding, of course she would!

"There's… something I haven't been telling you," Lucy began nervously. Levy's eyes widened.

"What is it?" she asked, kindly nudging her into continuing.

Lucy gulped. "There's this… guy I've been talking to."

Silence, until a big scream of, "WHAT?!"

Lucy winced. "Yeah?"

Levy gaped at her best friend. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally said, "Tell me! Everything!"

Lucy gulped. "Um… okay. So I accidentally wrote some stuff down on my desk in English class and the guy in the other class who sits at my desk started replying to me."

Levy blinked. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! And I guess we've been talking for a while now and stuff… but that's it."

"Really."

"Yeah. And I'm trying to figure out who it is I'm talking to, so I asked Loke-sensei for a list of people in the other class."

Levy stayed silent for a bit. "That's… actually really awesome."

Lucy blanched. "Levy-chan!"

"What?!" Levy said defensively. "It is! That's so… cute and romantic and ughhh why are you so shippable?!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WITH ANIME CHARACTERS! I'M NOT AN ANIME CHARACTER!"

"Are you realllyyy?"

Lucy sighed, twirling a strand of hair through her fingers. "It's just that… I'd _really_ like to know who exactly I'm talking to, you know? It's great and all, having a friend as unique as this, but it's getting a little tiring. I have to wait an entire day to see what Stranger replied."

"Stranger?" Levy chirped.

"Yup. He called me Pretty Stranger, and I call him Stranger," Lucy shrugged. "Mine's simpler than his. He seems to have a big ego since he wanted me to call him Handsome Hunk or Ooh La La… or something."

Levy just grinned, pretending to take out a notebook and pencil. "Don't mind me while I casually add to your harem."

"My _harem_?!" Lucy shrieked. "What the- who exactly is _in_ this harem that I supposedly have?"

Levy grinned wickedly. "Oh just a few people. This Stranger friend of yours, Natsu Dragneel… that's pretty much it."

Lucy raised both her eyebrows. "Two people doesn't equal a harem, Levy, and why in Fiore is Natsu on that list?!"

"Because you two seemed to really hit it off yesterday!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Again, not an anime character."

"You very well could be one!" Levy said, crossing her arms and clicking her tongue. "Seriously!" Her voice suddenly took on a much more dramatic tone as she said, "Imagine it, Lu-chan! You met someone by leaving notes for him and you instantly feel a kind of infatuation! Then you're introduced to another boy who you also start to grow feelings for! It's the perfect set-up!"

"Oh shut _up_!"

"What would make it even more perfect is if Natsu and Stranger were the same person!"

Lucy laughed softly. "Yeah. Right. Uh huh. Because that's totally believable."

Levy shrugged. "You can _never_ be too sure of something, Lu-chan," she said with another short chuckle. "Hey, English is your best subject. You should know all about dramatic irony."

"'This isn't dramatic irony! There's nothing ironic about this situation at all!"

"You never kno-"

"You are honestly no help at all, Levy-chan."

Levy grinned. "Oh well. So? Let's see the list Loke-sensei gave you!"

Lucy's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered what she had first came to Levy for. She nodded, quickly taking out the sheet of paper and skimming it.

o.o.o.o

 _ **Loke-sensei. Class 1 count: 12.**_

 _ **Sort: none.**_

 _Alberona Cana_

 _Strauss Mirajane_

 _McGarden Levy_

 _Scarlet Erza_

 _Justine Freed_

 _Olietta Laki_

 _Heartfilia Lucy_

 _Fernandes Jellal_

 _Vastia Lyon_

 _Bickslow_

 _Blendy Sherry_

 _Milkovich Meredy_

 _ **Loke-sensei. Class 2 count: 12.**_

 _ **Sort: none.**_

 _Redfox Gajeel_

 _Lockser Juvia_

 _Strauss Elfman_

 _Dragneel Natsu_

 _Fullbuster Gray_

 _Evergreen_

 _Strauss Lisanna_

 _Mulan Bisca_

 _Connell Alzack_

 _Eucliffe Sting_

 _Agria Yukino_

 _Cheney Rogue_

 _ **Please note: Class numbers are subject to change. Loke-sensei's decision on combining both classes impending.**_

o.o.o.o

Lucy blinked, running through the names of the boys in Class 2 again.

"So there are seven boys in Class 2," she stated. "Gajeel, Elfman, Natsu, Gray, Alzack, Sting, and Rogue."

Levy nodded. "Right. So now we have to decide who's your man," she said. "Let's just go down the list. Gajeel? No."

Lucy smirked.

"You seem keen on keeping it that way," she said, nudging her friend's side. Levy blushed profusely.

"Whatever!" she said, crossing her arms and sticking her nose high in the air. "We're not talking about me right now! Anyway. Next! Elfman."

"Isn't he the guy who always screams about being a man?" Lucy said, wrinkling her nose.

Levy nodded. "Yeah. He's also Mira and Lisanna's brother. Do you think it's him you've been talking to?"

Lucy shook her head. "I really doubt it."

"Alright. Natsu!"

Lucy sighed. "No."

"Why not?"

"Just… no. I don't think it can be him."

"You never knowww~."

"No, I kind of do. Natsu's a little out of control and all over the place, while Stranger seems a little more mature, even though he is very weird."

Levy deadpanned her best friend a look. "Are you even listening to yourself right now?"

"Yes."

"Tell me some things about this Stranger guy."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "He's dense. He's in Class 2. He has a cat named Happy. He plays flute."

Levy hummed thoughtfully, taking the sheet of paper into her hands and a pencil in the other.

"So I'll mark him as a 'maybe'," Levy said, not bothering to wait for a response from the blonde girl. Lucy looked at her, knowing that it was best not to argue.

"Whatever. Who's next?"

"Gray. But we can automatically rule him out right?" Levy asked.

Lucy nodded. "Of course. That's just common sense."

"Right. What about Alzack, Sting, and Rogue?"

Lucy looked down at her fingers, her eyebrows scrunching up on her face. "Alzack seems nice and all, but he's got a real good thing going on with Bisca, or so I've heard. I don't think it would be Sting or Rogue. Stranger doesn't really suit their personalities. Possibly Sting…?"

Levy sighed. "So I'll put Sting down as a no," she said, quickly crossing out the boy's name.

Lucy gaped at her. "Oi! This is playing dirty, Levy McGarden! Dirty!"

"Get used to it, Lucy," Levy winked. "So basically, we only have Natsu as the candidate for the job."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That's not true! You just _want_ it to be Natsu!"

"You do too!"

"No I don't!"

" _Really_?"

Lucy stopped. She fiddled around with her toes and looked away. "I can't answer that. I don't really know Natsu too well anyway."

"You know enough about him to know if you like him or not," Levy said in a sing-song voice. "Besides, Natsu's perfect for you! I heard from Gray that he hadn't had his first kiss yet, and he's never had a girlfriend before!"

Lucy's cheeks heated up. "I don't know what you're implying by that, but I don't like it."

Levy grinned. "You haven't kissed anyone yet either! Plus, you've never had a boyfriend-"

"There was that one guy who liked to read and-"

"He doesn't count!" Levy said, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Lucy, you barely even knew the guy! Plus, I heard that he shared a night with Cana after your afternoon together."

"He _did_?!" Lucy shrieked. "How come I was never told of this?"

Levy rolled her eyes. "Because that wouldn't be a very pretty sight, now would it? Trust me though, Cana handled him extremely roughly for your sake. She just wanted to teach him a thing or two about leading a girl on, I.E. you, and I guess she was kinda looking for a good shag as well."

Lucy giggled. "Never thought I'd hear you say these kinds of things," she snorted. "Gajeel's been a definite influence on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh _nothing_."

"You're the bunny girl!"

"Well, you're the shrimp!"

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting into a fit of laughs and giggles together. Lucy grinned happily, knowing exactly what Levy was doing.

She hadn't questioned her about _what_ exactly she was writing that day when Stranger first replied to her, but anyone could tell it was something bad, or uncomfortable at the least. Levy was distracting her, even if she didn't know the full story.

And boy was it working.

…

She was going to give Stranger her phone number. Lucy had decided this fact right after her new creative writing tutor left the house later that night. The teacher was good and all, but Lucy could tell he lacked serious experience in publishing actual works to the real world.

Lucky for him, Lucy knew a few things about the printing industry, and the two had engaged in a depthful conversation about the process of getting your book into a bookstore.

The conversation had her thinking. Maybe if she and Stranger had an easier way to communicate with one another, they would be able to talk to each other better, and have interesting conversations. Lucy especially wanted to know what kind of talker Stranger was. Did he mumble a lot? Was his voice deep? What was his body language like when he spoke?

So many questions, so little opportunities.

Maybe she wasn't completely ready to know _exactly_ who he was, but if they started texting instead of communicating on desks, would that allow an advancement in their complicated relationship? Lucy wasn't sure, but she was definitely ready to try.

So that day when she walked into English class, she took out her pencil and licked her lips, ready to get to work.

But first, she had to read what Stranger had written for her.

 _Ugh your old man really sucks. No offence, Pretty Stranger! And yeah, I was just kidding, sorry? Haha.  
_ _But aw man he grounded you? That's poo. But hey, at least ya still get ta' talk to me, right? :D  
_ _Heyy what's wrong with exchanging phone numbers? I think it's a pretty good way to start communicating better!  
_ _Oh well, I won't force ya'._

Lucy smiled, lifting her eraser. But before she could, Levy came over and quickly scanned the text.

"Oh yeah, that's definitely Natsu," she said, crossing her arms and giving her best friend a satisfied smirk.

Lucy pouted. "How can you be so sure?" she asked.

Truth be told, she was starting to think the tone of writing was resembling Natsu's speech patterns too. Lucy didn't know how to feel about this fact, but for now, she decided to just go with it.

"Natsu talks the way he writes," Levy answered simply. "It's plain as day, Lu-chan!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'll just have to see."

And with that, Lucy quickly erased Stranger's writing, and for her reply, she wrote a chain of simple numbers.

 _XXX-2945_

* * *

 **Fun fact: Lucy's phone number is comprised of 29, the age her mother was when she died, and 45, her father's current age.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy the chapter! Glad y'all are liking the story so far!**

 **Aye, I'm writing a mini series for all the Fairy Tail ships that I ship. It's up on my profile under the title _'Wish Upon a Fairy'_ if you're interested. **

* * *

Natsu didn't know why he suddenly inhaled upon reading Pretty Stranger's latest message to him. Was it out of relief? Worry? Or perhaps something more. The fact was that she had just trusted her phone number with him- something he knew did not come very easily from any person, much less a girl he had never even officially met before. She wasn't even in his _class_ , yet she had given it to him.

Natsu felt very proud of himself. He had managed to fully get her to trust him, so now hopefully she wouldn't object to a text from him.

He quickly took out his phone and added her number into his contacts, naming it ' _Pretty Stranger'_ , and clicking a picture of his desk as the profile image. Natsu nodded, satisfied with his work and then opened his messaging platform.

With a sly grin, he made a new message for her.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Heya! What's up?_

He anxiously waited for her response.

 _Pretty Stranger: Who is this?_

 _Pretty Stranger: Stranger, is this you?_

Natsu grinned heavily.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Aye! Heyy I made ya text in class! That's an accomplishment._

 _Pretty Stranger: Go back to paying attention to Loke-sensei. Imagine if he caught you! That would be horrible!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Ehh I'm not too worried. Sensei loves me._

 _Pretty Stranger: Really._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Just like youuu~_

 _Pretty Stranger: Go away._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Hey, Pretty Stranger?_

 _Pretty Stranger: What?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'm glad you gave me your number._

Natsu grinned with satisfaction, quickly pressing the button to put his phone into sleep mode and sliding it into his desk.

He was going to have way too much fun with this.

…

Was it Natsu? Was it really Natsu? It sure did seem like it, to Lucy. She sighed, looking at his last text with a small frown etched into her face.

 _Stranger: I'm glad you gave me your number._

She had just taken the liberty to make a contact for him, and just like she had predicted, he had not wasted any time in texting her after getting her number.

Of course, Lucy also knew that this ruled out the possibility of Stranger being someone she already knew, since when she put his number in, it didn't give her a message that said his number was already saved as someone else's contact.

She glanced at Levy, who was sitting next to her and looking at her with a worried expression.

"Something happen?" she asked. Lucy quickly shook her head.

"Nothing. Just thinking about Stranger," she explained.

Levy smirked. "Oh you mean you're thinking about _Natsu_?"

"That's not true!" Lucy protested. "I gave him my phone number and now he's texting me in class."

"You gave him your number?" Levy repeated. "Really? That's great! Now you can learn even more about him!"

Lucy shrugged. "I suppose."

Levy then said, "You wanna hang out with the folks from Class 2 again today?"

Lucy shook her head. "Can't. Grounded, remember?"

"Oh… right."

Lucy sighed. There were only a few more days till her punishment was over, so until then, she couldn't hang around any of her friends unless it was in school hours or on her way home from school.

"Psst," Levy said, shaking her hand in Mira and Erza's direction.

The two of them looked over their shoulder at the petite blue-haired girl. Ezra gave them the 'shush we're in class' look, while Mira looked curious.

"Yeah?" Mira whispered back.

"Let's invite your sister and her friends to walk home with Lucy and I today," Levy said. Thankfully, their teacher didn't seem to notice them talking in the middle of his lesson on whatever they were being taught today.

Mira nodded, giving the two of them a thumb-up before promptly returning to her notes.

After class, Lucy meekly followed her friends as they walked over to Loke-sensei's class. She peeked in, seeing Natsu and Gray by the door talking about something. Gray caught her eye and shot her a friendly wave, and Natsu grinned.

Lucy gulped, walking over to them with the rest of her friends.

"Do you guys wanna walk home with us today?" Mira asked.

Gray checked his watch, and nodded. "Sure. I don't have to be home till six today, so I'll go last."

The girls nodded. Juvia came up to join them.

"Hello girls!" she exclaimed, waving at them before standing next to her boyfriend.

Lisanna then came up to them. "Oh, are we all walking home together?" she questioned upon seeing the group huddled up.

Lucy then decided to speak up. "Yeah, you coming?"

Lisanna looked up to her older sister. "Mira-nee, are we walking?"

Mira nodded. "Yes, Lisanna. You don't have any other plans, do you?"

Lisanna shook her head. "Nope, none."

"You guys are twins, right?" Gajeel suddenly asked, walking up to them.

Natsu snorted. "Mira's older than Lisanna. Lisanna's the baby!" he said, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

Lisanna returned the gesture, before looking back at Gajeel.

"Mira's older by a year and a half. Elfman's older than me by a little less than a year. But the way our birthdays worked out, we ended up in the same grade," she explained, making Gajeel roughly nod.

He turned to Levy, making the shorter girl's eyes go wide. "Well, Shrimp, shall we get going?"

"I'm not a shrimp!" Levy said, her fists clenching tightly by her sides.

Lucy snorted, which made Gajeel direct his attention to her.

"What're you laughing at, Bunny Girl?"

"Oi! I'm not a bunny!" was Lucy's retort.

"You guys wanna stop by the smoothie place again to get Mango Pineapple's?" Natsu asked, smirking in Lucy's direction.

Lucy instantly deflated, which Levy noticed. Natsu looked at her, confused at her sudden change of heart.

"Sorry, Natsu, but Lucy's grounded so she can't go anywhere," Levy hastily explained.

Lucy offered the group a sad smile. "That's okay, though. You guys go on ahead."

"We would never desert you, Lucy," Erza spoke.

Gray said, "Don't you mean we would never _dessert_ you?" before laughing at his own joke.

Juvia frowned. "Juvia doesn't get it."

"I mean like, smoothies? Dessert?" Gray tried.

"It isn't funny when you have to explain the joke, Gray," Mira said pointedly.

Natsu, however, was looking at Lucy with a peculiar gaze. Lucy didn't know why, so she didn't think much of it.

"Jokes aside, Erza's right," Gray nodded, "Don't worry about it, Lucy."

Lucy gave them a grateful smile. "You guys are awesome," she said, before stealing a glance at the large wall clock in Loke-sensei's classroom. "Oh! We should get going."

The others nodded in agreement, before they turned and exited through the school's main doors.

"Heyyy you guys leaving without me?" a voice droned, catching everyone's attention. They turned to see their beautiful brunette friend striding up to them with a carton of juice in her hand.

Lucy, however, knew very well that it wasn't juice.

"Hey Cana," she greeted evenly. Cana winked at her.

"Heya Lucy!" she said, shaking her drink in front of Lucy's face. "Wanna sip? You can waterfall it if ya'd like."

Lucy didn't look too amused. "You know I don't drink alcohol."

Cana's smile faltered. "Ahh shit! How'd you know that this was- I mean! It isn't alcohol! It's clearly orange juice as you can see from the packaging."

Lucy giggled at her friend's attempt, before looking back up to the main group who had their eyes on the two of them.

"This is a pretty even matchup, right?" Lisanna laughed, looking upon the large mass of people. "Five from Class 1 and five from Class 2!"

"Awesome," Cana agreed.

"Jellal didn't join us?" Mira asked, turning to Erza. To everyone's pleasure, her face instantly heated up and her eyes averted somewhere away.

"H-he… he had something to do after school," she mumbled.

Everyone snickered.

"See? Told ya' Wendy's a life saver," Natsu said in a voice a little too loud. Lisanna punched him in the gut, which made Natsu realize that Erza was not supposed to hear that. "Uh… I mean…"

"Natsu," Erza said in a dangerously low voice. "What did you do."

"I-it benefited you!" Natsu instantly said. "All I did was tell Wendy at band that she should tell Jellal that you wanted to hang out with him and that you guys were dating!"

"You idiot," Gray facepalmed.

But to everyone's mega surprise, Erza didn't even flinch.

"Oh. Okay," was all she said.

Natsu's jaw dropped.

 _Lucy's_ jaw dropped, but not because of Erza, but because of what Natsu had just said.

 _At band._

Band.

Band, i.e. flute.

Did… did Natsu play the flute like Stranger did? If he did, that would mean…

"Y-you play in a band, Natsu?" she said before she could stop herself. She sucked in a breath as she watched in slow motion as Natsu's head turned to face her. Lucy's eyes widened as she saw Natsu's mouth open to form his reply.

"Yep," he said. "I'm head chair in the high school band. We're the top group in the prefecture!"

Lucy gulped. "That's great. Congratulations," she offered dumbly.

Natsu nodded, before the group stopped in front of a large white house.

"This is us," Mira said, shooting them all a wave.

Lisanna did the same. "See you guys on Monday at school!"

"Bye!" everyone chorused.

They kept walking around the town till everyone had officially gotten to their house except Levy, Natsu, and Gray.

"Bye, Gray-sama!" Juvia was saying, leaning up to peck Gray's cheek with her lips. Gray smiled softly, before looking around with a disgruntled expression to make it seem like this was totally normal between them. Lucy smiled at the thought.

Once Juvia was gone, Gray immediately turned to Lucy and Levy.

"Hey, you two are best friends with Juvia, right?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Natsu snorted as both Lucy and Levy nodded.

"We are," Lucy nodded. "What's going on? Did something happen between you two?"

"Didn't seem like it," Levy noted curiously. "Unless… this is some sort of internal struggle."

"Nah, this bastard just needs help picking out a present for his girlfriend!" Natsu decided to jump in.

Gray rolled his eyes. "You know how her birthday's next week? I just want to make sure I get the perfect gift for her since this is the first birthday since we became a couple and all."

Lucy grinned and Levy nodded.

"So you need help picking something out?" Lucy asked.

Gray nodded. "Kinda."

"I'm busy all weekend. Sorry, Gray," Levy said nervously, biting her lip.

Lucy deadpanned them a look. "She means she's already made plans to go on a date with Gajeel."

Natsu laughed at that.

Levy's face flushed as she replied, "Lu-chan! It isn't a date!"

"Oh, so you're going with Gajeel after all, then?" Lucy smirked slyly. She then turned to Gray. "I'll be there. How about tomorrow at noon?"

Levy raised an eyebrow. "But aren't you grounded?"

"My dad's going on a business trip starting tomorrow morning. He'll never have to know," Lucy winked. "Plus, it's easier when he's not in the house."

She missed the weird look Natsu gave her.

"Okay, that works," Gray nodded. "Thank you so much, Lucy."

"I'll come too," Natsu suddenly said.

The other three turned to him.

"Just great. My Saturday's officially been ruined," Gray sighed.

"That's fine with me," Lucy said.

Natsu smiled cheekily at them. "Cool! Let's meet in the Magnolia Plaza."

Gray and Lucy both nodded.

"This is me," Levy said, stopping in front of her house. She waved out to them with a big smile. "Sorry again about not being able to come tomorrow, Gray, but Lucy's great with this sort of thing."

"Bye, Levy-chan!" Lucy grinned.

"See ya'," Natsu nodded.

"That's alright. Thanks, Levy!" Gray waved.

And then, it was only Gray, Lucy, and Natsu remaining.

"So how are things, Gray, Natsu?" Lucy asked in an attempt to make idle conversation.

"Cool," Gray said.

"Fine," Natsu muttered. He appeared to be in thought, which Gray didn't miss.

"You thinking about something?" Lucy asked, obviously concerned.

"Oh no, this can't be good," Gray said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at the pink-haired boy walking next to him.

"Oi!" Natsu yelled, moving in to punch Gray in the elbow.

Lucy sweat-dropped, knowing exactly how this was going to play out. She had heard enough stories from Lisanna about Gray and Natsu's fights.

Before things could get out of hand, Lucy quickly interjected, "Can we please keep the fighting to a minimum?"

The boys glanced back.

"We'll have to, since this is my stop," Gray said, sticking his hands in his pockets and waving at the blonde. "See ya', Lucy," he said, turning to Natsu. He glared at him. "We'll finish this later."

"Yeah yeah," Natsu said, dusting his elbow off.

Once Gray retreated back into his house, it was only Lucy and Natsu. They awkwardly stared at each other, refusing to make eye contact.

Lucy, because she thought the guy she's been talking to using a desk was Natsu, and Natsu, because he thought the girl he's been talking to using a desk was Lucy.

"So… you have a strict father?" Natsu offered as they begun to walk again.

Lucy gulped and nodded. "Right. Strict," she said.

"Well, ya've survived this long, right? You can do with a few more years," Natsu said, winking.

Lucy looked up, catching his eye. The two made quick eye contact before Lucy broke it again.

"I guess," she shrugged, kicking a rock in the ground. "What about you? Is your family strict or what?"

"Don't got one," Natsu said, putting his hands in his pockets. Lucy's head shot up to meet his eyes again. This time, though, she didn't allow the contact to break.

"You don't?" she asked.

Natsu shook his head, not bothering to release the eye contact either. "F-foster father. Got taken in as a child."

Lucy sucked in a breath without realizing it. She stared at him, knowing very well that Stranger was taken into a foster family when he was a child too.

"Oh. I'm sorry," she said dumbly.

"It's 'aight."

Lucy coughed, realizing her house was just around the corner. She quickly looked back to Natsu, desperate for more answers.

"Hey, uh… what instrument do you play in the band?"

She knew that if he said he played the flute, he was the guy. With all this evidence, Lucy knew she couldn't deny it any longer.

She watched as Natsu froze for a fraction of a second, before his mouth opened to form his answer.

"Clarinet."


	6. Chapter 6

**Y'all are the best. Seriously. Aye, thanks so much for 100+ reviews! I know I don't reply very often, but I read _each and every single one of them_. Just wanted to let you know. ^_^**

 **This chapter was fairly enjoyable to write! Hope you'll like it!**

* * *

After bidding Natsu farewell, Lucy trudged into her house. Her shoulders sagged downwards, and her hair was beginning to take on a frizzy look after being kept down for the entire day. She desperately wanted to get upstairs to her room and tie it up, but she knew she had to say something to her father beforehand.

"Good afternoon, Lucy," Jude said as he entered the foyer. His hands were behind his back and he was looking at his daughter with his regular stern gaze.

Lucy bit back a sigh, wondering how today's argument was going to be like.

"Hi, Father," she said while reaching down to take off her uniform shoes. Jude's stare didn't lift from her as she worked. Lucy finally turned to him again after she finished putting away her things. "Do you need something?" she asked.

Jude didn't stop looking at her when he replied, "Who was that boy you were with just now?"

Lucy visibly stiffened. "He's… just a classmate, Father."

"Which class do you two share?"

"We… we don't share any classes. He's in the class after mine," Lucy said, shifting her weight onto her other foot.

"Why were you two walking home together?" Jude confined to question. "Lucy. What is going on."

"Nothing is going on, Father. I just made a new friend, that's all. I was walking home with a big group of boys _and girls_ and he was the last one to leave."

Jude lifted an eyebrow. "Who's in this big group of yours?"

"I don't see why it matters."

"Anyone I know of?"

"Levy, Erza, Cana, Mira, Lisanna, Juvia," Lucy listed in a monotonous voice. "And I guess now you know who Natsu is."

"This Natsu boy hangs around that many girls on his own?" Jude asked. "Is he not interested in the opposite sex?"

Lucy flared up. "F-Father! Why would you ask that question?"

"I'm just wondering, Lucy. I want to know the kind of people you're friends with."

"Are you opposed to the idea of me hanging around gay people?" Lucy asked, biting her fleshy tongue after speaking like that to her father.

Jude didn't seem to notice, though. "It isn't that, Lucy. I just want to know if there are any of his own friends in this group of yours."

"Girls can be friends with guys, Father," Lucy said pointedly.

"I know that. You didn't answer my question."

Lucy gulped. "I… yes. Gray Fullbuster and Gajeel Redfox."

"Just two?"

"Well, I know they're friends with Jellal Fernandes, Alzack Connell, Lyon Vastia, Elfman Strauss, and Laxus Dreyer, though Laxus doesn't go to our school anymore."

"I see. Why's that?"

To say that Lucy was confused would be an understatement. She was beyond perplexed at her father's sudden interest in her choice of friends. She had no idea why he was suddenly acting this way, but she didn't dare question it.

"Transferred," Lucy said. "His dad wanted him to go to a different school for a while."

"Is there something wrong with Fairy Tail High?"

"Nothing's wrong. It was a personal choice."

"I see," Jude nodded, moving to the large window in the room. He stared out it for a few seconds, before Lucy's curiosity got the better of her.

"What happened today? You don't usually take an interest in this sort of thing," Lucy said with a pointed look. Jude glanced over his shoulder.

Her interest was officially spiked. There had to be some kind of internal motive on her father's side.

She was pleasantly surprised when the only response she got was, "I just want to know how you're doing in school. As your father, I need to make it my duty to see to it that you have reliable people who you can trust."

Lucy blinked. "Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?" she asked slowly. "Please, Father, you're even going on a business trip tomorrow and I'll have nothing to do."

Jude looked thoughtful for a moment. "Very well. I will lift your punishment," he nodded. "I am a good father, right?"

Lucy coughed loudly. "What?"

"I'm a good father, correct?" Jude repeated, intent on getting a proper answer from his daughter.

"I don't know what to tell you, Father," Lucy said, looking away. "Can we have this conversation on a later date? I want to pick out my outfit for tomorrow."

That made Jude's eyebrow raise. "Tomorrow? Do you have plans?"

Lucy froze. Shoot. She didn't mean to reveal that little bit. There was no way he was going to let her be alone with two boys her age.

"J-just a bit of shopping," she said finally. "I haven't been to the Plaza in a while, so I wanted to go tomorrow."

"Are you going with anyone?"

"Friends."

Jude nodded. "Alright. Be safe, Lucy."

Lucy gulped, still very unsure how to handle this situation.

"I will," was all she said, before quickly turning and disappearing up the stairway to her bedroom.

"Wait, Lucy!" Jude called out to her, grabbing her attention right before she began walking up the steps.

Lucy turned, seeing as her father walked over to the corner of the room, picking up a small speaker and holding it out to her.

"What?" she asked, intrigued by his actions.

Jude held the speaker up to her. "Listen to these tapes I found in the basement. I was hearing them today, and I think I've resparked my old love for classical music."

"Classical music?" Lucy questioned, walking up to him and taking the device from his hands. "What do you mean? Are these classical tapes?"

Jude nodded, his mouth adorning a small smile. Lucy had never seen him smile before, so she couldn't blame her jaw from dropping.

"Your mother and I used to go to concerts all the time. These tapes were pieces we used to dance to at balls and parties. Finding these today really brought back some good old memories," Jude said.

Lucy gulped. "I… didn't know."

"Of course you didn't, but please. Help yourself to these tapes all you want. I'd love it if you were to start to enjoy classical music as I once did."

Of course. All he wanted was for Lucy to like something that he liked too. Lucy sighed, not expecting any more from her father as she turned and retreated back upstairs without another word.

That was probably the weirdest conversation she had ever had with her father. Granted, it was also one of the very few more normal talks they shared, since most of the time it was to scold Lucy, or tell her she had to get ready for an important event he wanted her to make an appearance in.

Lucy flopped onto her mattress, putting the tapes aside and gathering her sheets into her arms and curling herself into a tight ball. Her eyes throbbed from sleep exhaustion, but she didn't let that stop her from thinking back to the conversation she had had with Natsu just a few minutes ago.

 _Clarinet_.

Not the flute. He played the clarinet.

Lucy sighed. She was wrong. Levy was wrong. Natsu wasn't Stranger, since he played the clarinet, while Stranger played the flute. They were two different people, playing two different instruments.

Lucy felt empty.

For some strange reason, finding out that Natsu and Stranger weren't the same person brought an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

She sighed, opting to listen to some of the tapes her father had just given her. She slid off of her bed, picking up the speaker and rummaging through the compartment.

There were a total of four tapes. Each of them was labelled in thick black sharpie. Lucy squinted her eyes to read them.

 _Ig. Neel Orchestra 1_

 _Ig. Neel Band 1_

 _Ig. Neel Orchestra 2_

 _Ig. Neel Band 2_

Before Lucy could find herself questioning who this 'Ig. Neel' person was, her hands started moving on their own to insert the first tape into the slot and pressing the button that read 'play'.

Her ears were immediately drowned in the sound of different string instruments. She could make out violins, cellos, violas, and a few background double basses.

Her breath caught in her throat when she heard what came next.

Every single instrument in the orchestra quieted down and a new instrument entered.

An instrument that she knew _very well_.

The entire orchestra had dropped out, and it was just a single flute playing.

Lucy's eyes widened as she listened in on the beautifully played notes. Her tongue got caught in her throat as she didn't make a single sound, choosing instead to completely zone in on the music.

It took her to another planet, to put it simply. Lucy never thought she'd be one for music, as all she ever did was take a few piano lessons as a child, but this was something completely different. It felt good. It felt _safe_ , a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.

Whoever this _Ig. Neel_ guy was, she definitely wanted to hear more from him.

With an excited squeal, Lucy quickly took out the tape and replaced it with the second one.

This one was… different.

Instead of string instruments, there were saxophones, clarinets, oboes, trumpets, and french horns.

Just like the first tape, these instruments dropped out after a few seconds of playing, and once again, the main flute took the spotlight.

Lucy grinned to herself, choosing to drown herself in the beautiful tune the speakers were giving her. While she listened, she grabbed her laptop and opened up a new web browser. Quickly, she typed in _Ig. Neel_ into the search bar.

Her dashboard was immediately overflowed with search results.

 _Ig. Neel announces retirement!_

 _World famous flutist finally steps down after adoption of healthy baby boy!_

 _Ig. Neel reveals news about plans of adoption!_

 _Flutist Ig. Neel plays final sonata in front of millions of heartbroken fans!_

 _Hearts are torn to shreds as flutist Ig. Neel finally announces his decision to step down from the throne! Will we ever be the same again?_

 _We'll miss you, Ig. Neel! Give your new son our regards!_

 _His music will forever stay in our hearts! Sayonara!_

Lucy's wide eyes skimmed the articles with mild interest. Apparently, this man had started playing the flute as a child of eight years, and had played till he was thirty-one when he decided to adopt a foster child.

The articles were dated back to around seventeen years ago, which made him about forty-eight years old currently. His son was now the same age as Lucy.

He hadn't made any more appearances in social media after the time when he announced his retirement, opting for a more private and secluded life. He now lived with his son in Fiore, and had settled peacefully into a brand new lifestyle.

Lucy gulped, running her eyes over a few more articles before snapping her laptop shut.

She was getting carried away. Researching a musician after listening to two of his songs? What was she doing? Why did it feel like she somehow _knew_ this person?

Lucy would never have been so curious if it weren't for the nagging sensation that was burning up in her chest.

She sighed, grabbing her phone and deciding to tell her worries to a certain someone.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I've been listening to my father's old classical tapes. Is it wrong to say that I've completely fallen in love with his favorite musician?_

The reply she got was almost instant.

 _Stranger: Classical music? Haha I know a few things. I knowww right it's so addicting!_

Lucy grinned as she quickly typed back a message.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Well, you are a flutist for a reason, so I don't doubt it. My father has all these tapes from a flutist and I absolutely love them!_

 _Stranger: Maybe we should listen to them together sometime. Ya know, when I'm ready to tell ya who I really am._

Lucy frowned. She thought he would be jumping at the opportunity to know her real identity. But here he was, telling her that he wasn't ready for that yet.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Of course. I'm sure you'll love him._

 _Stranger: Speaking of your old man, everything's cool with him, right?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Yeah. He lifted my grounding! Now I can go hang out with my friends tomorrow without my guilty conscience coming up to bite me from behind._

 _Stranger: You were planning on going without his consent? I've taught ya well!_

Lucy smiled as she happily went to type back, ' _That's not a good thing, Natsu…'_

Lucy froze, her hands slipping as she almost dropped her phone. She hastily picked herself up again, pressing the backspace option a few times to delete the last word.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: That's not a good thing._

Lucy signed. She rubbed her temples out of exasperation and groaned. What was she thinking? Didn't she already establish that Stranger and Natsu were two different people?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an incoming text.

 _Stranger: Yeah it is! You know it is!_

Lucy couldn't help but smile. Something about Stranger's easy going nature was so captivating to watch.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Yeah. Right._

She didn't receive a response immediately, so Lucy decided to turn off her phone and go to her desk, getting out her homework and opting to finish it before deciding her outfit for the following day.

…

Natsu breathed heavily. His eyes fluttered to a close as he flopped onto the bed, resting on his back.

Why did he do that?

Why the _heck_ did he do that?

Sure, he had his thoughts of her being Pretty Stranger, but now it was abundantly clear. Who else would be so interested in knowing if he played in the band or not? Who else had father problems?

 _Lucy_ did.

 _Pretty Stranger_ did.

It was the perfect set up, too. She would ask him what instrument he played, he would say he played the flute, she would gasp, he would smile, and then they would ride off into the sunset, without actually riding anything because that would give him horrible motion sickness.

But… somehow, the thought of her impending rejection seemed to snap him out of the thought.

He barely even knew the girl as a person. All he did know about her were things she never even meant to tell him. He knew nothing about what kind of conversationalist she was, how she normally wore her hair, where she was from…

Her entire existence was a mystery to him.

There was no way he could reveal himself to her just like that. He wanted to get to know her as a person. Not as Pretty Stranger, but as Lucy Heartfilia.

A thought then came to him.

What if Lucy _wasn't_ Pretty Stranger?

His phone suddenly buzzed, indicating that he had just gotten a text from someone.

 _Pretty Stranger: I've been listening to my father's old classical tapes. Is it wrong to say that I've completely fallen in love with his favorite musician?_

Classical music. Natsu smirked, momentarily forgetting about his internal trouble with Lucy and Pretty Stranger. He had a text message to reply to!

 _Natsu Dragneel: Classical music? Haha I know a few things. I knowww right it's so addicting!_

Of course he did. He was a flutist, after all.

 _Pretty Stranger: Well, you are a flutist for a reason, so I don't doubt it. My father has all these tapes from a flutist and I absolutely love them!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Maybe we should listen to them together sometime. Ya know, when I'm ready to tell ya who I really am._

Natsu's eyes widened as he subconsciously pressed send. He didn't mean to send that!

Sure, it was the truth. He really wasn't ready to reveal himself to her, but he wasn't sure how she would respond to something like that.

Something fuzzy crawled up his leg, startling Natsu for a second. He glanced down, his eyes landing on Happy who had just nestled himself on Natsu's stomach.

 _Pretty Stranger:_ _Of course. I'm sure you'll love him._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Speaking of your old man, everything's cool with him, right?_

He had to make sure. It was the courteous thing to do.

 _Pretty Stranger: Yeah. He lifted my grounding! Now I can go hang out with my friends tomorrow without my guilty conscience coming up to bite me from behind._

 _Natsu Dragneel: You were planning on going without his consent? I've taught ya well!_

 _Pretty Stranger: That's not a good thing._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Yeah it is! You know it is!_

 _Pretty Stranger: Yeah. Right._

"Natsu! Come down here for a second!" his father called down to him. Natsu almost dropped his phone, knowing very well what his dad would say if he found out he had been texting a girl.

"Coming," he yelled back, putting his phone to sleep and sliding it into his back pocket, forgetting about the text Pretty Stranger had just sent to him.

He made his way downstairs, coming face to face with his father, who was currently setting the table.

"What?" Natsu sputtered. "What is all of this?"

His eyes went wide as he saw the variety of dishes set out on the dining table and three bottles of hot sauce sitting by Natsu's plate.

"We haven't had dinner as a family in a while, so I thought this might be good for us," Igneel said nonchalantly, as if it explained everything. Natsu stayed still, watching in awe as his foster father set out a few more bowls of rice and meat.

"Uh… okay?" Natsu said, unsure how to respond. He slid into his seat without a word, watching intently as Igneel sat down across from him.

"So, how's school going for you?" the red haired man said, lifting his fork to his lips and swallowing a bit of food. Natsu followed his lead, digging in quickly and chowing down on the delicious meal. Usually, he grabbed something readymade from the fridge and microwaved it since his father was always working, and ate it upstairs in his room. Today, though, was completely different, and Natsu was unsure why.

"School's fine," Natsu said shortly, paying more attention to the spicy food in front of him. "Dad, what's up with all of this?"

Igneel ignored him. "Haven't heard anything about Gray in a while," he said pointedly.

Natsu snorted. "That bastard's-"

"Language."

"Uh… right. Gray's fine. I'm… _friends_ with him."

"That's good," Igneel nodded, not seeming to notice Natsu gagging from his words. Natsu looked back up at him, still extremely confused.

"Why'd ya' make dinner today? Didn't you have work or something?" he asked.

Igneel shrugged. "I did, but I was able to finish the last few sheets early so I thought it would be nice to have some father-son time at dinner tonight."

Natsu tensed slightly, but not enough that it was noticeable. "You did, huh."

Igneel worked as a composer and translator. He used to be a very successful flutist, but Natsu wasn't sure about the details of his old profession. Igneel never said very much about it, except the fact that he retired when he adopted Natsu. Now, instead of playing the music, he transferred flute sheet music to different instruments, or vica versa. He also had composed a few short pieces that Natsu had played a few times on his own flute, but nothing major.

Igneel usually kept the details of his job private, so Natsu didn't bother to ask.

"So… why'd you come home by yourself today?" Igneel asked. Natsu's eyes shot up to meet his and he gaped at him. "You know, Gray is usually with you, right?"

Natsu gulped. "Yeah… but we went a different route today."

"Is that so," Igneel said.

"Yeah," Natsu replied.

"You've been acting different lately, Natsu," Igneel said, glancing down at his fork. "Have you met someone new?"

"Uh…" Natsu said, officially lost for words.

"Any new… _female_ company?"

Natsu sputtered, almost choking on the piece of raw chicken he was trying to swallow in that moment.

After cleaning himself up, he said, "What are ya' talking about?"

"I don't know, it's just a hunch, I guess," Igneel said, shrugging. "Thought maybe you _finally_ got yourself a girlfriend or something-"

"Oi!" Natsu snapped.

Igneel laughed, "Nevermind, nevermind."

"And for your information, I _don't_ have a girlfriend," Natsu said, crossing his arms. "And I won't be getting one anytime soon!"

"Gay, then?"

"No!" Natsu screeched. "Dad! Stop!"

Igneel was now full-out laughing. He clutched his sides, trying to stop himself from blowing from his sounds of mirth.

Natsu looked at him, unable to stop himself from letting out a small smile.

Igneel and Natsu's relationship wasn't the _best_ , but it was definitely something Natsu cherished. He knew his foster father was always there for him, and he knew he would never hesitate to be there for him, either.

It was just all the time in between.

They almost never saw each other, as Natsu preferred to keep himself out of the house most of the time. Igneel had always been a little on edge around him, but he managed to scrape through for his son every time.

Natsu, of course, knew that there must have been something else behind his strange behavior.

Suddenly, he felt a sudden discomfort in his throat and chest. Natsu's hands flew up to clutch his shirt as his gaze began to fog slightly.

"Natsu?!" Igneel yelled, scrambling out of his chair and bending down to help support him by placing a hand on his back. "Are you alright?!"

Natsu coughed. This turned to another set of coughs. Then another and then another.

"Dammit…" he said, breathing heavily as his voice began to crack. His breathing quickened and Igneel ran to the kitchen to get a pill.

"Here," he said, coming back with a glass of water in his right hand and the medication in his left. Natsu quickly accepted it, gulping it down quickly as his breathing began to return back to its normal pace. His vision also cleared up and he looked up at his father with a grateful look.

"Thanks," he said, lifting his head up to look at him. Natsu smiled. "Guess I forgot to take it this morning."

"It gets worse this time of year, you can't help it," Igneel sighed, sitting back down too. "Are you sure you're okay, Natsu?"

Natsu nodded. "I'm fine, Dad," he said, glancing down at the multiple plates of food. Suddenly, they didn't seem so appetizing anymore. "I… I think I'm gonna go to bed now, if that's okay."

Igneel sighed, realizing that all his efforts for dinner had now gone to waste.

"Alright," he said. "Sleep well, Natsu. Don't let this bother you, okay? It was an honest mistake. You just forgot to take it this morning, right?"

"Yeah," Natsu nodded. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Igneel said. "Glad we got it to you before something worse happened."

Natsu gulped, quickly turning and disappearing out of the dining room without another word. Igneel stared after him, his eyes drooping as he looked down at his lap with a sheepish look.

Before going to bed, Natsu texted Pretty Stranger one last time.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Good night, Pretty Stranger. Hope your night went better than mine._

* * *

 **Oooh what's going on with Natsu, huh?**

 **Here ya have an insight on how both Lucy and Natsu are doing with their personal family lives.**

 **Next chapter, Lucy and her new friends go shopping!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Have I ever mentioned how much I love Team Natsu shenanigans? Yeah. Well, now ya' know!**

 **Oh and GraLu. My number one BROtp and also my sin ship. It just gives me little fuzzy feelings right here *points to heart* and turns me into a pile of goo. Of course, not as much as NaLu and GrUvia do, but still.**

 **So yeah. You can expect a lot of GraLu BROtp in my works. XD**

 **Thanks for the reviews! As always, they really helped. ^_^**

 **ALSO. I'm writing this really angsty NaLu mini multi-chapter AU where Natsu has Alzheimer's so if you're interested in that sorta thang it's on mah profileeee. ;)**

* * *

Lucy stood outside her closet, her hands on her hips and her hair up in a messy bun. Her nightgown stuck tightly to her body as she grazed her eyes over the many options that were set out for her.

Maybe she should wear a dress? Or would a skirt with a nice blouse look better? No, she shouldn't be too overdressed. All she was doing was going shopping with Gray and Natsu. She held out her hands, rummaging through the vast selections of outfits she had stored deep in her closet, before finally coming across something that looked good enough.

It was a pleated black skirt that reached just below her thighs. A thick bluish-gray belt wrapped around the top and a golden buckle at the front. The top part of the outfit consisted of a plain pink spaghetti-strap blouse with black straps and borders. She quickly stripped and pulled the clothes on, and then ran over to her vanity dresser to get herself made up.

She faintly wondered why she was going through this much effort for a simple outing to the local mall, but the thought drifted out of her mind as soon as it reached. Lucy opted for a simple side half-ponytail held together with a dark red ribbon, and ran her hands through her long blond hair. It was still a bit curly from the braids she put in the night before, but she didn't mind.

When she was finished, she grabbed her things and made her way downstairs.

Mindlessly, Lucy opened her phone and found a new text message she had somehow missed from last night. Her eyes widened as she skimmed through it.

 _Stranger: Good night, Pretty Stranger. Hope your night went better than mine._

He must have had a bad night. There was nothing to get worried about, really. There was no need for this stupid feeling in Lucy's chest right now.

"Are you leaving?" someone called. Lucy spun around to face her father, who was holding a mug of coffee and looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "This early? Don't you want any lunch first?"

"I already ate," Lucy gulped. It was true. Her father was still asleep when she had first woken up. Jude nodded thoughtfully.

"I wanted to let you know that I've set up another interview for tomorrow night. Did you listen to the tapes yesterday?"

Completely ignoring the first part of his sentence, Lucy replied with a simple, "Yes. They were good."

"Did you like them?"

"The flute is a nice instrument."

Truth be told, Lucy really wasn't sure how she was able to get through this conversation without breaking.

"The flute is my favorite," Jude said. "That and piano. Your mother used to play both, you know?"

Lucy didn't say anything. Of course, she knew her mother played the piano, but she didn't know about the flute part.

"Well, have fun. Be back by your curfew," Jude said, turning and stepping away. "I'll email you the files with the information on tomorrow's interview. Look over them, won't you? This one's definitely worth watching out for."

"What if I don't want any more interviews?" Lucy said softly. "What if I want to be in a relationship with someone _normal_?"

"Normal?" Jude spun around. "These men I've picked out for you are completely-"

"I don't want you to pick them for me! Why can't I just make my own decisions like someone else my age?!"

"This man is your age, Lucy. He's seventeen years old. Just like you."

"What if I want to actually fall in love with my husband before marrying him?"

"The wedding won't be till later; till after you and your husband have gotten to know each other more."

"What if I don't want to get married yet?"

"But you must. It is your duty."

"To hell with duty!" Lucy suddenly yelled, her voice getting a lot louder. "Don't count on me going to the stupid interview tomorrow."

"Watch your mouth, young lady! And you will be attending!" Jude replied, stepping closer to her. "I don't understand why you have to be so difficult all of the time! Don't you understand, Lucy? You are a daughter of the _Heartfilia_ family. You must live up to our name!"

"The fact that I'm rich doesn't make me heartless!" Lucy said. "I want no part in this arranged marriage nonsense! Otherwise I will drive away this next client just like Pascal-san!"

Jude's eye twitched. "So it _was_ your doing. Of course. I should have known better than to trust you with something like this."

"Excuse me?" Lucy asked in an apparent rude tone.

Jude sighed, lifting his hand up to wave his only daughter away. "Just go to your shopping trip. We will discuss this at a later date."

Lucy didn't answer. She just picked up herself and stormed out of the house.

…

 _Pretty Stranger: I'm so done with my dad. Too many fights. Too little opportunities. Can't I just catch a freaking break for once?! Have another marriage interview tomorrow. Got any more of your godly advice?_

Natsu stared at his phone as he stood outside of the town gazebo. Gray and Lucy still hadn't arrived yet, but Natsu knew that this text was his way of knowing why. He groaned, before quickly typing something back to her.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Sorry ta hear that. Just don't think much on it today. Got any plans?_

 _Pretty Stranger: Shopping with my friends. Good advice. I think I'll take it._

Well that did it. Now Natsu was completely, one-hundred-percent sure who he had been talking to these past few weeks. It was definitely Lucy. No doubt about that.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Glad I could be of service! :)_

"Natsu!" someone yelled out to him. He turned to see Gray with someone standing next to him. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if it was… _Erza_?!

"Erza?" Natsu blinked, watching as the scarlet haired girl walked up to the gazebo with a mature smile painting her face. "What're ya' doing here?"

"She found out about our plans with Lucy. Said something about not wanting us to 'taint' her, whatever that means," Gray replied for her. Erza nodded.

"Where's Lucy?" she asked. "Has she not arrived yet?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nope. Haven't heard from her but she's probably a little late."

"I see," Erza nodded, crossing her arms. "We'll wait for her right here. She does know where we all are meeting, correct?"

"It amazes me how you can just waltz in here and act like this," Gray muttered. Thankfully, Erza didn't seem to hear him. A little louder, he then said, "Yeah. She knows."

"I still don't understand why I'm here," Natsu said, slipping his phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Because you were all like 'Oh I'll come too!' when I told Lucy and Levy about it!" Gray said. "Did you crack your brain a little too hard? Idiot."

"Say that to my face, Ice Slob!"

"What did you just call me, Fire Freak?" Gray whipped around and lunged for Natsu.

Ezra, however, didn't look too amused.

"I expect absolutely no fighting when Lucy is here," she said, putting her hands in between the two boys and pushing them apart forcefully. "You two have just met her, have you not? It's best to leave a good impression before she gets to know you two even more in depth."

"Oi!" Natsu said, struggling in the strong girl's hold. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, _friend_ ," Gray hissed, mentally gagging once he said that last word. Natsu sputtered, rolling his eyes and grimly smiling.

"Whatever," he mumbled, knowing very well arguing would get him nowhere.

Besides, he _did_ want to leave a good impression on Lucy- Pretty Stranger- no. Lucy. This was _Lucy_. For today, he would keep thoughts about her alternate persona aside. This was what he wanted, after all. To get to know Lucy as a person, rather than someone he had never met before.

Just then, he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey you guys!" someone yelled. The three of them turned to see the cute blonde approach, holding her hand up and waving at them with a big smile on her face. Erza let go of both Gray and Natsu quickly and rushed over to her.

"Lucy! I hope you don't mind that I decided to tag along for today," she said, bringing her in for a hard hug. Lucy wheezed, making Natsu chuckle in the background.

"O-of course not, Erza," she said once the scarlet haired woman let go of her head. Lucy shook her head and pinched her eyes shut to keep the budding sensation at bay. Gray walked up to her and offered her a small smile.

"Thanks for doing this, Lucy," he grinned. "I really need the help."

"Of course you do," Natsu tsked, causing Gray to whirl around and glare at him.

" _Boys_. Remember what I just said?" Erza said, raising a taunting eyebrow.

Lucy laughed as both Natsu and Gray instantly backed away.

"I'm actually kind of glad you came, then. These two fight way too much," she giggled. Natsu looked at her with a small smile.

"Glad you could come," he offered.

She locked eyes with him for a brief moment, before they both looked away.

Quick eye-contact seemed to be becoming a regular thing for the two of them, but Natsu didn't really mind. Any kind of contact with her was good enough for him.

"So, Lucy," Gray began again, "do you have any ideas of what Juvia might like?"

Lucy turned to him with a thoughtful expression. "You see, I was thinking about that while I was on my way here. I still haven't gotten her a present yet either, and I'm not sure if Erza and Natsu have…?"

Erza shook her head while Natsu shrugged. Lucy nodded.

"Exactly. So we each need something that holds different meaning and value, correct?"

Gray made an 'o' shape with his mouth as he seemed to ponder over this. "Oh I get it. So I should get something a boyfriend would get, and you, Natsu, and Erza would get something that a close friend would get?"

Lucy nodded in agreement. "That sounds about right."

"Well that doesn't put pressure on me at all. Thanks, Lucy," Gray said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. Lucy grinned.

"Glad I could be of service!"

"If you two don't mind, I'd really like to get started on this whole thing," Natsu cut in roughly. He eyed Lucy closely, immediately recognizing the familiar phrase she had just used. It was the same thing had just texted Pretty Stranger.

"We should get going," Erza agreed. "What are you guys thinking of getting Juvia?"

"Just get her a body pillow of Gray and she'll be happy," Natsu muttered.

Lucy erupted in laughter while Gray's face became a burning shade of red.

"It isn't like _you_ have a girlfriend who has a body pillow of you!" Gray retorted, making everyone's eyes bulge out of their sockets.

"Juvia has a body pillow of you?" Erza questioned, her own cheeks becoming a little red. No one knew what was going through her mind in that moment, and no one really was intent on finding out.

Gray didn't answer, which gave them a pretty vivid idea of the truth.

Lucy coughed awkwardly. "Right… well, we should… yeah."

"Yeah…" Natsu agreed slowly.

The four of them unanimously agreed that it was better to leave the topic as is, as they made their way through the plaza.

"There're a lot of shops here," Lucy breathed out.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah. You sound surprised," he noted casually.

"I haven't really been here much," she replied softly. Natsu looked up. Guilt shrouded him when he remembered about the situation with her father. He gulped.

"W-why?" he forced out.

"Uh…" Lucy stared at him for a few moments, and Natsu got the gist.

"You don't hafta' tell me if ya' don't want to," he quickly said. "Sorry."

Thankfully, Lucy smiled. "No, that's alright."

"THAT BRACELET!"

Natsu and Lucy both spun around at the sound of the loud voice to find Erza running into a jewelry shop with her red hair flying all over the place. Natsu grimaced and Lucy laughed under her breath. Gray followed after her, and Natsu and Lucy did the same.

"You think Juvia would like something like this?" Gray asked Lucy as he walked up to a case filled with necklaces.

Lucy came up to him and curiously inspected the different items. "Ooh, these are gorgeous," she commented idly, running her fingers over the glass frame that housed the beautiful jewels. "I'm sure she'd love one of these."

Gray nodded, leaning his head in closer to look at them with a better eye. "I like that one," he said, pointing to the pendant in the middle. It was a snowflake with a water droplet at the bottom. The chain was silver and Lucy could tell the droplet was made out of sapphire.

"I'm jealous, Gray," Lucy laughed, "I wish I had a boyfriend who would get me amazing necklaces for my birthday."

Gray grinned down at her. "So I take it that you like it? Should I get it for her?"

"Definitely," Lucy nodded.

"Awesome," Gray said, calling for a sales associate to help him buy it.

Lucy turned to go see where Erza had disappeared to, but instead found herself face to face with Natsu. She blinked as she almost fell directly onto him and the two stared at each other for a few moments.

"Uh… did Gray find what he wanted?" Natsu asked dumbly, quickly stepping back to give the blonde the space she needed.

Lucy looked away, biting her lip and Natsu had to resist the urge to blurt out the truth right then and there. "He did," she said, stepping to the side. "Have you seen Erza anywhere? I think we just lost her."

"Nah," Natsu droned, lifting a hand and pointing his index finger towards the counter. Lucy turned to see the infamous woman handing over a wad of cash and thanking the lady behind the large desk. "Ya' see? She's right there buying something for herself."

"Not for myself," Erza's voice said. Lucy grimaced when she came up to the two of them. "I just bought my birthday present for dear Juvia."

"You did?" Natsu blinked. "What'dya get for her?"

Ezra pulled out a small golden box and opened the lid, revealing a beautiful creamy pearl bracelet. Lucy eyed it in awe and Erza looked very proud of herself.

"You like it?" she asked. "I saw it in the store window and instantly thought to get it."

"It's so cute!" Lucy screeched. "Juvia's going to love it so much!"

"I sure hope so," Erza replied with a soft smile. "This thing sure did cost a lot."

"This store in general is too expensive," Natsu said, crossing his arms. "Wonder how Gray's doing with that."

Lucy winced inwardly. "He bought a pretty pricy-looking necklace for Juvia."

"She's his girlfriend," Erza said, "she deserves to be a little spoiled now and then."

"Does Jellal spoil you, Erza?" Natsu said slyly, his eyes narrowing in humor. Lucy suppressed a laugh when she saw Erza's reaction to his words. Her cheeks became the color of her hair and she started flailing her arms around out of sheer embarrassment.

"He… I'm not dating him!" Erza said with a frown. "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm in a relationship with him? We're just really good friends, that's all."

"Uh huh," Lucy decided to cut in. "Really good friends. I believe you."

"As you should," Erza nodded, completely missing Lucy's point. Lucy didn't bother correcting her, knowing it would take too much effort and she wasn't really up for that.

"I'm done," Gray came into view with a small bag in his right hand. He was placing his wallet into the pocket of his jeans and didn't notice the pointed look everyone was giving him.

"How much?" Erza asked, cutting straight to the chase and not bothering to be polite. They were all friends here, after all.

Lucy noticed how Gray's facial expression changed ever so slightly, but she thought better than to comment on it.

"Three thousand five hundred jewel," Gray answered.

"Damn," Natsu commented. "You're totally smitten."

"Oh yeah?! Say that to me once _you_ get a girlfriend!"

"Oi! I'm single because I wanna be single!" Natsu yelled, his eyes narrowing even further than they already were.

"Or maybe it's because you just don't have the charms in you to get yourself a girl!" Gray retorted, his eyes dropping slightly.

"If you don't mind, I still need to buy a present for Juvia," Lucy said, now tired of their endless fights. "And I'd like to make this quick as it's getting warmer."

Natsu and Gray shot daggers at each other's eyes, but nevertheless followed suit in Lucy's wake. The girls walked in front, chatting about pointless things while Gray and Natsu stayed back, glaring at each other when they were sure neither of the girls were looking their way.

"Maybe I should get her a book," Lucy said thoughtfully, looking at the large bookstore they had just passed. "Or maybe I should get a book for myself. Either work."

Natsu laughed, coming up to them. "Right. _Either work_ ," he said, quoting her.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "What? Books are good."

Natsu then looked over just enough to see a music store. His eyes widened, remembering he needed a few new supplies for his flute, plus a new score.

"Yeah. You do that, and I'll be in there," he said, already walking towards it.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Do you need new stuff for your clarinet or something?" she asked. "Because I'm pretty sure Juvia doesn't play an instrument."

Natsu nodded. "Uh… yeah. I need stuff for my… clarinet. And sometimes they have cool stuff for people who don't play too. Like a journal or a pencil or something." He had momentarily forgotten about his small white lie to Lucy, and was about to fess up but thought better of it.

 _Maybe when I've gotten to know her a little more_ , he decided, _then I'll tell her when I'm ready._

"Oh, okay," Lucy nodded. "Who's coming with me?"

"I will," Erza said. "Gray, you go with Natsu."

"Do I-"

"Yes, you have to."

"But I didn't-"

"Doesn't matter. Go."

Gray sighed, accepting defeat and trudging behind Natsu as the two made their way into the music store.

"Just so you know, I don't want to be here," Gray said, crossing his arms. When he got no reply, he looked up to see Natsu browsing through the different items the store had to offer. Intrigued, he followed after him.

Natsu ran his hands over the many scores and orchestra keys in the form of books. His mind raced, looking over the various titles and trying to decide which one he wanted.

"Hey Ice Freak, find a flute part, will ya'?" Natsu suddenly asked, seemingly out of his miniature trance.

Gray muttered something under his breath, but began to help nevertheless. He rummaged through the books, trying to find what Natsu was looking for.

"There are so maaannyy," Gray whined. "Never thought someone like you would have the patience to do something like this."

Natsu's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something. "Oh right! I need a clarinet part too."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Clarinet? Since when did you play the clarinet?"

Natsu coughed awkwardly, playing with his fingers. "It's for… Wendy?"

"Wendy," Gray repeated. "If I know Wendy, she would never accept anything without asking for it."

Natsu groaned. "Damn you and your insightfulness. Okay fine. Lucy thinks I play the clarinet, so I need lie material."

Gray blinked. "Why the fuck would Lucy think you play the clarinet?"

A few children looked over, and Gray quickly covered his mouth as he saw their mothers putting their hands over their ears.

"Uh… I meant… fudge! Yeah! I like fudge."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "I like fudge too, but that's not the point. I told Lucy I played the clarinet so she wouldn't know I played the flute."

"Why?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's so bad about her knowing you play flute?"

"Because she knows someone _else_ who plays flute."

"So?"

To say Gray was confused was an understatement. He was downright clueless.

"I don't want her finding out yet, okay!"

"Finding out _what_ exactly?" Gray questioned. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Natsu. What's going on."

Natsu sighed, throwing the scores and sheet music back down onto the shelves. He turned to Gray with an exasperated look.

"Because I know she's Pretty Stranger! We've been talking for weeks using the desk in English and when I thought she found out about me I panicked and told her a lie and now everything's messed up but I still don't wanna tell her and gahh!"

Gray blinked once.

Then twice.

Then three times.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"ARGH! You're impossible! Gah!" Natsu yelled, throwing his hands into the air and wailing in despair. "I just wanna tell her so badly but I _can't_ for some reason! I don't know gahh!"

"Okay first of all, stop using 'gah'. It makes you look like a nerd."

"Shut the f-"

"Secondly, I have no idea what you just said so please. Be a dear and repeat everything."

"No. I will not be a _dear_ and tell you. I'll be a freaking awesome person and tell you."

So he did just that.

Natsu told Gray everything, and on more than a few occasions, he faintly wondered why he was even confiding this kind of information with his frenemy in the first place, but didn't think much on it.

Gray, on the other hand, was just silently shipping Natsu and Lucy together. He made his thoughts known after Natsu was finished, when he said, "So… you like her."

"What?! I don't _like_ her!" Natsu said. "Well, I like her, but I don't _like_ her!"

"So… you basically like her."

"Make more sense, idiot!" Natsu said. "I don't like her in the romantic way!"

"Yeah, right," Gray said, his eyes remaining droopy. "You totally do. It's so obvious."

"No I don't! Stop being rude!" Natsu whined, pouting and looking away.

Gray couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I guess I'm kind of happy for you. Glad you've finally come to your senses about this stuff and found yourself a nice girl. Lucy's cool."

"I don't like her, and even if I did, there's no way I could ever have anything with her," Natsu muttered, looking down at his feet. "She's... she's…"

"She already has someone?" Gray questioned.

Natsu shook his head. "She's… she's getting… you know what, nevermind. Whatever."

Gray sighed. "Look, Natsu, as much as I hate you, I really think you should-"

"Hey guys!"

Both Natsu and Gray whipped their heads around to see Lucy and Erza approach them. Lucy was holding a small bag from the bookstore and Erza was smiling happily alongside her. Natsu sucked in a breath, which Gray did not fail to notice.

"We found a great little gift for Juvia," Erza said, prompting Lucy to take the present out of the bag.

The boys watched intently as Lucy pulled out a large photo album and held it up. It was a cute light blue color with the words 'JUVIA' written on the front. Lucy had just gotten it personalized for her friend, and was very satisfied with the album as a whole.

"Nice," Gray complimented. "She's going to love it."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed, looking up and smiling at the blonde. "This is awesome!"

Lucy grinned cutely back at him, which somehow made his heart flutter. He ignored the sensation and proceeded to go back to browsing.

"Did you find your clarinet stuff?" Lucy asked, walking up to Natsu and putting her hands behind her back.

"Uh… not really," Natsu said quietly. "I was looking for a score and got a little… _distracted_." He shot a pointed look at Gray, and the raven haired boy didn't reply. Gray only smirked.

"Oh okay. Let me help you!" Lucy offered, sliding up to the shelves and beginning to look through them. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Not really," Natsu replied. "Anything works."

His eyes drifted over to the flute section. Without realizing it, he reached over and began looking through them.

He didn't notice Lucy staring at him with a peculiar gaze.

"Natsu? Why are you looking through the flute pieces?" she asked, her eyebrow lifting in a suspicious manner.

Natsu quickly flailed around, throwing the books back into their section and snapping his hands together in front of him.

"Uh… for my dad!"

Natsu cursed himself. Where did that come from? Why would he bring Igneel into this?

He looked into her eyes, knowing he was completely sunk under now.

"You dad? Does he play the flute?" Lucy asked.

"He used to," Natsu mumbled. "He retired when he adopted me."

"Aww, to take care of you?" Lucy smiled cutely. "That's really sweet, Natsu. He's a… good father."

Natsu winced, suddenly remembering how Lucy's father was with her.

"No, I dunno really why he quit."

That was a lie. Natsu knew _exactly_ why Igneel had retired, but Lucy didn't need to know that just yet.

Or maybe she did.

Suddenly, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell Pretty Stranger, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't tell her about _that_. No one knew about it. It was a secret he kept only between himself and his father. He didn't want people to worry about him anymore than they already did.

Not yet. He knew that she would somehow end up finding out, though. Somehow, Natsu thought it was inevitable.

"Oh," Lucy said, and Natsu was unsure how to respond.

He glanced back to see Gray whispering something to Erza. He didn't mind if Erza knew about his complicated relationship with Lucy, but he knew Gray wouldn't tell her without asking Natsu first.

Then, Lucy gasped suddenly as she seemingly noticed something on one of the shelves. Natsu looked over to see the blonde over by a collection of journals with musical notes decorating their covers.

"You should get one of these for Juvia!" she exclaimed happily, shoving one into his face and grinning broadly. "It's something she'll like, plus it gives a little bit of your own heart in it, since you're a musician!"

"I… guess?" Natsu tried.

Lucy grinned. "Cool!"

Natsu picked up the notebook, and glanced at the price. It was reasonable enough, so he went up to the cashier and handed over a wad of jewels.

When the payment was made, the four of them made their way out of the shop, each holding their own gifts tightly in their hands.

"So this trip wasn't a total waste," Gray said.

"Of course it wasn't," Erza said with a weird look. "We came here to-"

"You mean _we_ came here to get gifts. I still don't understand how you found out," Natsu said, raising an eyebrow.

"Gray refused to spend time with Juvia today and I wanted to know why, so he told me," Erza shrugged. "And there was no way I was letting innocent Lucy spend time alone with _you two_."

"For some reason, I feel insulted," Gray said.

Lucy giggled. "I think it was an insult," she pointed out.

"Whatever," Gray laughed.

Natsu's mind, however, was somewhere else. He remembered the disaster that happened the night before and reached back to feel the small capsule of pills in case of emergencies. He sighed in relief to find that they were still there and hadn't fallen out.

"I should get going," Lucy suddenly said, glancing at the time on her phone.

"Me too," Erza said.

Gray shrugged. "Yeah, let's call it a day."

Natsu nodded. "Sure. That works," he said.

Lucy grinned, shooting them all a quick wave before prancing away. Erza did the same, nodding to both of them before walking off in the opposite direction.

Soon, it was only Gray and Natsu remaining.

"You should tell her soon," Gray said. He put his hands in his pockets and looked out at nothing in particular. "Really. You should."

Natsu gulped. "Yeah. I will."

"You'll only keep feeling guiltier if you don't," Gray continued. "You don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No," Natsu replied meekly.

"Well,"- Gray patted Natsu's shoulder- "good luck, I guess."

"Yeah," Natsu said as Gray offered a short smile before walking off, holding the necklace box tightly in his hand.

Natsu looked after him. Without another thought, he pulled out his phone and quickly went to his text message chain with Pretty Stranger. His messages with Lucy. He debated whether or not to change her name to _Lucy Heartfilia_ , but decided not to do it in the end.

He played around with the idea of telling her his _own_ secret, before finally typing something out.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Hey, my name's Natsu, and I have a lung disease. Didn't tell you before because I'm a coward, but now that I have, let's be friends._

Shaking his head, Natsu quickly deleted the message and clicked out of his messaging app.

It was just too soon.


	8. Chapter 8

There was something about the auditorium which Natsu practiced in that always made him smile. The atmosphere in which he was allowed to play his instrument to his heart's content was so friendly and cheerful that he never wanted to leave once he was there. It felt good, smelled good, and tasted good.

Not that he ever tasted the building.

It was a bright Sunday afternoon. The time when Natsu usually went to rehearsals to practice for an upcoming recital or concert. There had just been one a few weeks ago, but the conductor, Zalo, was yet to tell him about his next project. Natsu didn't mind, though. He was okay with just the knowledge of knowing there was an event coming up.

"Natsu!" a voice called to him. Natsu spun around to find Romeo running up to him with his clarinet case swinging from his hands.

Natsu grinned broadly. "Heya, Romeo!" He beckoned the middle schooler forward. "What's up?"

Romeo shrugged. "Zalo's getting in my face about this new concert that's coming up," he explained, sitting down in the seat next to the older boy.

"Wouldn't be a good conductor if he didn't," Natsu chuckled. "He still hasn't told me about my next fling."

"Really? What about the Major's Establishment?"

Natsu quirked an eyebrow. "What's that?" he asked, his interest piqued.

"It's this new thing that just started this year," Romeo explained. "Surprised you haven't heard about it, though. The Major's Establishment is the concert every young musician wants to get qualified for."

Natsu broke into a wide grin. "Then you can bet your buttons that I'm gonna go to that event!"

Romeo laughed. "You have to audition for it, and if you get selected as a chair, you're sent to a single full-day rehearsal and then get to play at the event a few weeks later. The whole thing's in like a month. Auditions end next week, so you gotta sign up quickly."

Natsu groaned. "And I'm guessing Zalo has the audition piece?"

Romeo grimaced. "Yeah, he does. I gave my audition a few days ago. Wendy's is today."

"Oh really? How do ya' think ya' did?" Natsu questioned, wanting to get a good sense of what he was getting into. This wasn't going to be his first concert, sure, but the way Romeo was describing it, it was definitely something to not take as lightly as other events.

"The sight reading part got me a little off," Romeo admitted sheepishly. "But other than that, I think I did pretty okay."

"Sight reading's never fun," Natsu agreed.

"Romeo-kun!"

Romeo and Natsu both turned to see a small bluenette running up to them with a frantic look in her eyes. She was wearing her plain black concert dress that went down to her toes and she had a reed in her mouth.

She looked completely frazzled.

"Wendy-chan?" Romeo said, catching her before she fell down. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Wendy looked around frantically. "My audition is in a few minutes!" she exclaimed, before noticing Natsu. "Natsu-san! Are you trying out for Major's Establishment?" Wendy was prone to using honorifics she wouldn't normally use whenever she was nervous or excited, so Natsu could easily tell something was up.

Natsu blinked, clearly trying to process what had just happened.

"Uh… yeah. I'm thinking about it," he said slowly. "Wendy, you alright?"

"Oh I'm fine," Wendy reassured. "Just a little nervous. I'm sorry for worrying you!"

Natsu chuckled forcefully. "It's 'aight," he said. "And you're gonna do great at your audition! You're one of the best clarinet players I know!"

"Oi!" Romeo said from the sidelines. Natsu grinned.

"I said _one of_ ," he said for clarification. "But you're still not one of my favorites, Romeo!"

Romeo pouted. "Aww. How rude, Natsu," he said in a childlike manner. Natsu just shrugged, turning back to Wendy.

"Now listen here, Wen, you're a great clarinetist and I know you're gonna do great at the audition! Those judges damn well better let you into the concert!"

Wendy smiled broadly up at her older friend.

"Thank you so much, Natsu!" she said happily. "That makes me feel so much better!"

"To be honest, I don't really get the whole hype about this thing. I mean, yeah, it's a big district event and stuff, but seriously? This much?" Romeo started, causing Natsu to nod as well.

"Romeo-kun!" Wendy said in a scolding tone. "You know just as well as I do what kind of exposure someone could get if they land a high chair number during the audition preliminaries! This thing is huge! If you want to be a professional musician, you better get yourself a spot on Major's Establishment before you graduate high school!"

Natsu gulped. "Is it really that big of a deal?" he murmured. Natsu was currently in his third year of high school. His final year. If what Wendy said was true, this could really bring in some good things for future years.

Wendy immediately nodded. "Yes! The organization that founded the event is comprised of super elite players! If you get into their event, you'll get to meet them and get top coaching!"

"Holy crap you're completely right…" Natsu blinked. He turned to Romeo and gasped. "Romeo! Where's Zalo? I need to get that audition piece from him!"

Romeo sighed. "Should be in the main auditorium getting ready for group rehearsals," he said, pointing to the direction of the main door. "Though you're probably going to have to go through it before getting a chance to speak with him."

Natsu groaned. He despised group rehearsals. It was mandatory to attend at least two per month, and Natsu had already gone to both of his last week. Those rehearsals were way too bothersome for him. Natsu would rather get personal training, or practice with a smaller group rather than the larger one made up of over one-hundred-fifty people.

"I don't need to go! I already completed my two!" he grumbled. "Thought I'd just get it over with sooner rather than later."

Romeo shrugged. "You could always use the credits for next month, you know. Then you'll only have to go to one."

"Aye, you're right!" Natsu grinned. "Great! Well, I'll be off, then!"

Wendy and Romeo both waved at Natsu as he began to run in the direction of the auditorium.

"Good luck getting that audition, Natsu!" Romeo yelled to him.

"Thanks! Break a leg, Wendy!" Natsu called back.

"Isn't that what you say when you're going to act on a stage?" Romeo whispered to Wendy, who completely ignored him to respond to the pinkette.

"Thanks a bunch, Natsu!" she replied.

Natsu grinned, now running to the doors to the main auditorium.

He was going to get that audition.

…

He was going to fail this audition.

After an agonizingly painful two hours at group rehearsals, Natsu had finally managed to get a chance to speak with his conductor. Zalo had barely even looked at him before handing over the pieces he needed to prepare for the audition. The audition was set for the next day at noon, which was the only time block that was free.

He had exactly twenty-one hours to get this sheet of music completely down and memorized.

Natsu sat in his private practice room. He had asked Wendy and Romeo to secure him a spot for the room at this time, and thankfully, they had managed to do just that.

Natsu loved those kids.

He took a deep breath, looking over the piece once again and sighing deeply.

It was completely impossible.

This kind of music clearly was designed for at least a week's worth of preparation beforehand. It was filled with long phrases, tied bars, grace notes, difficult chords, and sixteenth-note measures. It had bars which went over the normal octave, and others which went way under.

To put it simply, Natsu was screwed.

His thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone rung. His eyes darted over to the caller I.D., and was relieved to see that it was just Lisanna.

"Hey Lis," he greeted upon picking up.

"Natsu!" her voice sounded from the opposite end of the call. "What're you doing? I was wondering if you finished rehearsals so we could go out for ice cream with the rest of the gang?"

Natsu sighed. "Sorry, no can do. I had to go to group rehearsals and now I've got this really horrible audition piece I have to train on," he explained. "I probably won't be able to answer any calls after this anyway."

"Aww, okay. What're you auditioning for?"

"Major's Establishment."

"Oh! I've heard of that," Lisanna said suddenly. "Isn't it that new districts event that just opened this year? I did think you might be interested in it."

"Yup, I've got an audition set for tomorrow," Natsu replied. "Probably gonna fail, though. This piece is stupidly hard."

"Oh you're gonna be fine," Lisanna said, waving off the topic. "And I know you're gonna get in. Can I come to the concert?"

Natsu mentally shrugged. "Sure. I don't really care," he said.

"Awesome!"

Natsu sighed. "Welp. I better get back to practice. See you later, I guess."

Lisanna laughed. "Good luck, Natsu!" she said, before the line beeped and went dead.

Natsu placed his phone down, mere seconds before it sounded again. Not once, but twice. He raised an eyebrow, picking the device up once again and scanning the two messages. One was from his father, and the second was from Pretty Stranger.

 _Dad: When are you coming home?_

 _Pretty Stranger: Stranger? Can I please talk to you?_

Natsu quickly decided to message Igneel back first, since it was clear his conversation with Lucy would take a while longer.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Preparing an audition piece. I'll come home late._

 _Dad: Alright. Be safe. I'll have dinner kept for you in the microwave if you come home when I'm asleep._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Okay thanks Dad._

Natsu then clicked into his text messaging chain with Lucy, and formed a quick reply.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Sure. Though I'm kinda in the middle of something so I don't have too long._

Her reply was instant.

 _Pretty Stranger: Okay. I don't mind. This shouldn't take too long._

 _Natsu Dragneel: What's up?_

 _Pretty Stranger: Remember that marriage interview I told you about yesterday? I just got back from it._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Go on._

 _Pretty Stranger: Stranger, I don't think my father's going to hold out for much longer. He wants me to find a husband. Pronto._

Natsu grimaced at his screen. Lucy was gonna get married? And soon?

He didn't know why, but the thought of that happening made his stomach lurch painfully. He didn't have an explanation for these feelings, but he knew it would be better to just ignore them for now.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Hey, it's alright. Have you tried to talk to him?_

 _Pretty Stranger: Only one too many times._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Listen, I honestly don't know what to say, but maybe you can hold out for a little longer before ya think of something?_

She was hurting, and that was the best he could come up with? Natsu slapped himself for his stupidity. He was tempted to say he was sorry about everything, but he knew that was the last thing she wanted. There was no way a girl like Lucy would ever appreciate something like pity.

 _Pretty Stranger: Maybe, but I don't know how much longer I can do this for. Dammit, Stranger, I need someone to hug me and let me cry on their shoulder._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Can I be that someone?_

 _Pretty Stranger: I wish you could._

Oh how badly he wanted to go up to Lucy right now and hug the life out of her. He wanted to be that person who she could let herself go around. He wanted to be that person who she could cry to and he wouldn't care one bit.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Someday, I will be that someone._

 _Pretty Stranger: I know you will._

What did this mean? He had barely even known Lucy for a month and he was already talking to her like she was his oldest friend. Natsu didn't know _why_ he was like this around her. He didn't know _why_ he was able to tell her things he never even imagined telling anyone. He didn't know _why_ Lucy was telling him these things if she didn't even know who the real person she was talking to was. _Why._

 _Natsu Dragneel: I should get going._

That was right. He had music he had to play and memorize for tomorrow, and these sorts of distractions would do him no good in the long run. For now, he couldn't really do anything about this unless he wanted to reveal himself to her, but he was much too scared to do anything of the sort.

What if Lucy didn't accept him? What if she froze up around him whenever they talked face to face? Natsu didn't want to make things awkward around them. If she knew who he was in reality, she might stop talking to him like they were doing right now.

For now, _Stranger_ and _Natsu_ would stay as two different people.

 _Pretty Stranger: Okay, Stranger. Thank you for listening to me._

 _Natsu Dragneel: You're welcome. G'night._

 _Pretty Stranger: Bye. Sweet dreams._

…

It was eleven o'clock by the time Natsu finally stepped through the front door to his house. He didn't hear any noises, so he guessed Igneel had fallen asleep. Remembering the text he had received hours ago, Natsu ventured into the kitchen and opened the microwave wide. Sure enough, there was a microwavable frozen meal sitting inside.

While he heated the icy chicken up, Natsu couldn't help but let his mind drift to his audition for tomorrow.

From what Romeo and Wendy had told him earlier, this event could very well be the deciding point in his high school music life. Natsu had spoke around to other auditionees at the rehearsal grounds and apparently people were mostly taking part for higher-up college level music education. If you were in a good numbered chair for this event, chances are you would be accepted into a better music college, if that was what you were looking to do.

Natsu, of course, hadn't put much thought into what he wanted to do later in life, but he knew it had to be something involving playing flute. Not only did he want to make his father proud of him, he also enjoyed being a musician and could easily see himself in ten years on a stage playing a solo part in front of millions.

Just like his father did.

"You're home pretty late," Igneel's voice interrupted his thoughts. Natsu spun around to come face to face with his adoptive father. Natsu offered him a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I was preparing a new piece," he said as an explanation.

"Oh really? For what?"

"Got an audition for the Major's Establishment."

Igneel's jaw literally dropped. Natsu watched out of curiosity and amusement as the older man's eyes opened and closed multiple times. His expression was priceless, but Natsu wasn't about to tell him that.

"Major's Establishment?" Igneel finally said. "Holy cow, Natsu. That's a huge step up."

"So I've heard," Natsu replied. The microwave beeped once, prompting the pinkette to take his dinner out of it. "I was practicing the piece."

Igneel nodded. "How is it?"

"Dangerous," was Natsu's only reply.

"I see."

The two of them stayed silent for a while. It wasn't necessarily an uncomfortable one, but Natsu could tell it had a lingering taste he didn't particularly like.

"I have a few friends who helped found the Establishment," Igneel said suddenly. "Oh, and, your brother's coming to visit soon."

He had said it so casually, Natsu had to blink twice to make sure he had heard him correctly. Brother? _Brother_?

"Brother? Does that mean…"

"Yes, Zeref."

Natsu's chest instantly lightened. It had been almost five years since he had last seen his older brother. He was the only blood-related family member Natsu had left after the… incident. Zeref was the one who had saved him, actually, and Natsu was eternally grateful.

Zeref had moved to Crocus, though, to study for college. The two brothers were six years apart in age, but that didn't stop Natsu from feeling an irreplaceable bond with him. Natsu had never bothered asking what exactly Zeref was going to become, but he knew it had something to do with his health.

Natsu knew how bad Zeref had felt after everything went down all those years ago. He knew he still blamed himself for the bad misfortunes that had been thrown onto Natsu.

In fact, the last conversation Natsu had shared with his older brother was about how horrible Zeref felt that he couldn't come sooner for him.

But Natsu didn't blame Zeref for what had happened. True, it had cost him his disease, but still, Natsu could never blame Zeref for it. Both of them knew that if it had taken a second longer for Zeref to reach Natsu, the consequences would have been a _lot_ more severe.

Natsu was actually very thankful for his brother. Not only did he save him, but he also left him with Igneel.

And for that, Natsu would always be grateful.

"Zeref's coming back?" Natsu asked with wide eyes and a hopeful grin.

Igneel chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.

"Yes, Natsu. Zeref's coming back. And he's got a girl with him too!"

Natsu lifted an eyebrow. "A… girl?"

"Yes! Can you believe it?! Your brother's got himself a girlfriend! And a really cute one at that."

Igneel then whipped out his phone to show a few pictures on the screen. Natsu stared in awe at the adorable pictures of his older brother standing besides a short girl with really long blonde hair that reached her toes. He couldn't help but laugh.

"She's like… hahaha… a foot shorter than him! Hahaha…" he wheezed, trying to stop himself from overexerting himself. Igneel grinned.

"That's what I thought too!" he chuckled.

Natsu smiled, because he was genuinely happy for Zeref. He never really did seem like the romantic type, but these photos clearly proved Natsu wrong. He and this girl looked so _happy_ together. Natsu wondered if he would ever have something like that with a girl.

"Her name's Mavis. She's coming as well," Igneel said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "They'll be here in a few weeks. If you get into Major's Establishment, they'll be able to see you!"

"Awesome!" Natsu cheered. "Dad, this is great!"

Igneel smiled. "I knew you'd be happy about this."

Natsu returned the heartwarming smile, knowing that Igneel told him about Mavis and Zeref because of that reason. He wanted him to be happy.

And for some reason, that thought made Natsu's heart soar.

* * *

 **So I've been doing a lot of planning and outlining for this story, and I now know for certain what I'm gonna be doing with it.**

 ** _The Desk_ will have 4 major arcs. We're still in the first arc right now, and will probably be entering the second one at around chapter 14.**

 **It's honestly a little reassuring to know I have an actual plan for this fic, unlike literally all the other ones I've done in the past. It's refreshing. XD**

 **Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I wasn't planning on writing this chapter. But I'm home sick with horrible cramps so why not.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Did you hear? Natsu Dragneel's trying out for Major's Establishment!"

It seemed to be the hot topic of the day, according to Lucy. Everyone at school had been talking about Natsu's audition to the elite districts event. Lucy herself didn't know much about it, but it was clearly something important and she managed to respect that fact.

To a degree.

If Lucy were to be frank, though, she would say it was honestly getting a little annoying. And now that people knew she and Natsu were friends, people were coming up to _her_ to ask about him.

"Heya, Luce!" Natsu said, stepping by her and shooting her a casual grin. "What's poppin'?"

Lucy sighed, unable to help herself.

Natsu, for some reason, took this as a bad sign. "Woah woah, you okay?"

Lucy quirked an eyebrow at him. "I'm… fine? It's just that your fangirls keep coming to me to ask about how you're keeping up for your big audition. When is that, by the way?"

Natsu didn't skip a beat as he responded, "I'm going down there during lunch hour. And don't let them bother you! They're just yet to get past my charm and wonder." After he said that, be shot her a wink and switched to her other side.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Now lets not get too ahead of ourselves," she said in a scolding, motherly tone of voice. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, before breaking out into a fit of laughs. "Okay but honestly though, are you doing alright? I've heard this event is a pretty big deal or something."

Natsu quickly nodded. "It is! The way it works is that you sign up for an audition, where they give you a sight reading piece along with asking you to play something you prepared for them. Then, they score you on different things and give you a chair number. The lower your chair number, the better you are in comparison to the whole group."

Lucy clicked her tongue in understanding. "So… first chair is the best?"

Natsu nodded. "Yup! Everyone wants to get first chair, but only the best of the best succeed!"

"Have you ever gotten first chair before, Natsu?" Lucy questioned only out of curiosity.

"Uh…" The look he was giving her instantly made her feel bad about asking the question. Clearly it was a sore topic for him, though she was unsure why.

"Sorry. You don't have to answer that," she quickly added, prompting him to chuckle under his breath.

"Nah, it's cool," he said, waving off her apology. "I've never gotten first chair since I'm not allowed to overexert myself while playing."

"Oh," Lucy replied dumbly. She could tell that he wanted to elaborate, but for some reason, he was holding back on it.

"It's just a medical problem. No biggie," Natsu added afterwards. Lucy didn't answer, but she couldn't help but wonder what kind of medical problem he was talking about. A physical injury? Was it external, or internal?

Her eyes involuntarily grazed over his figure. She had barely even known this guy for more than a week, but they were already conversing so casually. It wasn't like Lucy sparked their usual banter, though, it was actually mostly Natsu who spoke to her first.

She often wondered what she had done to deserve his friendship. From what she could see, he didn't really treat her any differently than any of his other friends, and Lucy was extremely grateful for that. She would hate for him to act as if she was the new girl or something. As much as it pained her to admit, she _was_ still fairly new to his group of friends.

Her eyes glanced down to his toned arms, moving downwards till they landed on his hands. They were pretty big, relatively speaking to other guys'. She faintly wondered what it would be like to grasp it in her own, but quickly shook the thought away. She had no right to be thinking any kinds of thoughts along that line.

But she couldn't help but notice the thumb of his left hand twitching every few seconds. She recalled back to the many sleepless nights she had spent when she was younger, just writing. The next morning, her fingers usually were in a similar condition, so Lucy wondered if it was just a finger cramp like the ones she was somewhat used to.

"Did something happen to your thumb?" she asked meekly as they took a turn in the large hallway. Natsu glanced down at the hand she had been staring at, and lifted it to his face. His eyebrows quirked gently as he observed it.

"Huh, now that ya' mention it, my hand has been feeling a little sore," he mused, "but it's probably just from the all-nighter I pulled last night."

Lucy lifted her chin to better look at him. "All-nighter? What for?" she questioned out of sheer curiosity. She watched as his eyes lifted.

"I was preparing for my audition at Major's, so that's probably why my fingers are cramped," Natsu explained. "Oh, and, I was typing on my dad's phone for a bit. Texting my brother."

"You have a brother?" Lucy questioned. It didn't seem like Natsu to have a brother. Was he older or younger? Natsu seemed more like the type to have a younger sibling, so she doubted his brother was older than him.

Her doubts were proven when Natsu replied with a "Yeah. Older. He moved to Crocus for college and stuff. Haven't seen him in a while."

"Oh," Lucy said. She added nothing afterwards, which gave Natsu the hint that it was his turn to continue the conversation.

"He's coming home with his girlfriend," Natsu said, though Lucy wasn't really paying attention. She was too busy eyeing his face as he spoke. She didn't know exactly why she was doing it, but something about it just felt right. While he talked about what he wanted to talk to her about, she observed him closely. Watching and memorizing every little thing he did. When he was saying something funny, his lips quirked up ever so slightly. When he was talking about something he felt strongly for, his head leaned forwards slightly and bent lower than usual. When he was saying something a little more sincere and meaningful, his eyes narrowed slightly and his eyes somehow got smaller. When he was posing a question, his eyebrows raised a bit and his lips parted.

Like right now. His eyebrows were a little higher on his face and his lips formed a questioning 'o'.

Oh.

 _Oh._

"Lucy?"

Lucy blinked, snapping back into reality all at once. She closed her eyes again, and opened them slowly as if not wanting to step back into the regular world. She was already having far too much fun looking at Natsu and watching him steadily as he spoke to her. It was a little unnerving.

"Yeah?" she replied, partially not trusting her own voice. She was a little afraid to tell the truth. She didn't want to hear the sound of her speech, since she was unsure how it sounded to Natsu.

He didn't seem at all fazed by it though, which lifted her spirits, if only slightly.

"Sorry. Wasn't sure you were listening," he said, waving it off. Lucy sighed. Of course she wasn't listening. How could she be listening?! Didn't he understand her little internal thoughts and struggles?

"I wasn't," she blurted out without thinking. Natsu's eyes widened. Lucy's eyes widened. She quickly went to correct herself. "I-I mean! I _was_ listening! Uh… sorry about that?"

Natsu shrugged, not seemingly bothered by the blonde's frazzled nature. He nodded once, before turning to look a ways away from her. "You see Lisanna anywhere? She wanted to come to my concert and I needed to give her the details. That is, if I end up getting in. If not. Well. Then this next conversation's gonna be a waste."

Lucy assumed he was talking about Major's Establishment. "You'll get in. Don't worry. I personally haven't ever heard what you sound like, but if you clarinet playing is anything like your likeable smoothie choices, then I'm sure you'll be amazing."

"Smoothie choices, eh?" Natsu asked, grinning.

Lucy clicked her tongue. "That's right. Unless, of course, the fact that you like Mango Pineapple changed within the course of a week."

Natsu pretended to think about it. "Hm… I _have_ heard that Caribbean Berries is a good flavor…"

Lucy mock gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Sorry, but it's just _berry_ good!"

Lucy stopped.

She looked up till her eyes locked fully with Natsu's.

Her mouth opened and her cheeks flushed.

"You did not just-"

She was cut off by the sweet sound of Natsu's cackling laughter. She stared at him in shock as he began to laugh over his own joke. She watched his eyes clench together and his entire body lurching forwards as he grabbed his knees and tried to stop himself from laughing.

"Y-your face when I said that!" he exclaimed, looking up to point a taunting finger at her. "It was p-priceless!"

"Ha. Ha. Ha. _Berry_ funny."

Natsu instantly stopped laughing. His eyes widened as he realized what she had just done. Lucy was grinning ear to ear now, wanting to relish in his confused state for as long as humanly possible.

"You can't steal my pun like that!" he exclaimed childishly. "You used the word _berry_ swapped for _very,_ same as I did! Not fair, Luce!"

"All's fair in a pun war!"

"Oh yeah? _Berry_ well then! _Lettuce_ see about that!"

"Oh _peas_. I don't _carrot_ all."

"Oh! Feelin' a little _chili_ , are we?"

"Well it takes two to _mango_!"

"I hate your puns from my head _tomatoes_."

"Ohh are you not _peeling_ well?"

"That reply took a little longer than it should have! Did you just get stuck in a _giraffic_ jam?"

Lucy blinked.

"That didn't even have anything to do with food at all."

Natsu raised a confused eyebrow. "Did it have to?"

"I thought we had a theme or something!"

"We did?"

"Oh my gosh you're impossible!"

Natsu licked his lips and grinned. She stared at him in absolute shock and humor. His forehead creased and released a few times, before she sighed and joined in with the smile fest.

"What class do you have next?" Natsu asked, checking his watch quickly.

"Historical Japanese Literature," Lucy shrugged. "You?"

"Audition." His lips spread into a wide smile. "Got my audition next. So I should probably start heading over."

"Oh. Right," Lucy said, almost forgetting about that. He was right. He was going to go audition for Major's Establishment and play his clarinet and go do great thing in life and yay. Lucy smiled widely at the thought. Although she was just getting to know Natsu, she couldn't help but feel happy for his accomplishments.

"Well, I'm off," Natsu said, lifting his hand to wave at her. Lucy nodded, shooting him a quick wave back.

"Good luck, Natsu!"

And then he was gone.

And then she was surrounded.

Lisanna. "I didn't know you and Natsu were that close!"

Juvia. "What were you talking about?"

Levy. "Eee! Lu-chan's harem is slowly coming to a close!"

Erza. "You two looked intimate."

Lucy blinked, looking around her to see the four girls staring at her intently. Levy, Juvia, Erza, and Lisanna all had their hands on their hips and were watching the blonde's every move. Lucy gaped at them, unable to form true words.

"Uh… girls?" she asked. "What are you guys talking about?"

"We're talking about you and Natsu!" Lisanna started. "You two have sure become fast friends."

"Fast… friends?" Lucy questioned. "What do you mean? We were just talking."

"Ohh Juvia is so happy for Lucy and Natsu! For a second there, Juvia thought Lucy might like her Gray-sama and she would have to become a love rival!"

Lucy coughed dryly. "Uh… okay, Juvia. That's a little insane. Even for you."

"Honestly, Lucy, I thought there was something going on between you and Natsu even at our little shopping trip on Saturday! Why didn't you tell me you two were like that?! I could have easily set up more alone time for you two if that was what you preferred."

"We are not _like that_!" Lucy exclaimed. "I was just talking to him about his audition. He just left for it and I wanted to wish him good luck!"

"Uh huh. Is that really _all_ you were talking about?" Levy said, her eyebrows raising and coming back down a few times in a taunting way.

Lisanna snorted. "It looked like you two were professing your undying love for each other to me."

The other girls hummed in agreement.

Lucy's cheeks burned red.

"Ah well, I have class now," Erza said, checking the schedule on her textbook. "See you girls later."

Juvia and Levy nodded, before promptly following suit.

And soon, it was only Lucy and Lisanna remaining.

"Did he say anything, though?" Lisanna asked softly. Lucy's eyes widened, looking up to meet the white haired girl's gaze. Lisanna was smiling a small smile, and was looking at Lucy with such emotion, she almost had to look away. "Did he say anything about the audition? Any… negative things?"

Lucy jutted her lips out in thought. "No… he didn't say anything at all like that. On the contrary, he seemed rather excited."

Lisanna chuckled lightly. "That's just like him."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah."

Lisanna stayed quiet for a moment. "He really is a good guy, you know. Maybe even the best."

"Lisanna?"

"And I can't deny the fact that I used to have a bit of a crush on him," Lisanna continued, completely ignoring Lucy. Lucy's eyes dilated on a positive scale factor. She hadn't been expecting anything like this. "Heck, we used to make little jokes that we'd end up getting married when we were older. It was all just a game, though, and I kinda hate that I took it all to heart."

"That's so cute," Lucy couldn't help but squeal. "I… I'm sure you two will be an amazing couple."

Lisanna quickly gasped, reaching out and waving her hands in front of Lucy's face. "Oh no no no! You've got it all wrong! I don't like him like that anymore! I swear!"

Lucy raised both of her eyebrows. "You… don't?"

Lisanna nodded. "Of course not! That was just a childhood fling. Nothing big. Besides… he has _you_ now."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucy replied promptly.

Lisanna rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Lucy. Don't play dumb with me. I may only know you for a short time, but I can tell when feelings are beginning to arise."

"Feelings? Oh no. No way. I don't like him like that!"

Lisanna giggled. "I wasn't talking about _you_."

Lucy didn't reply, but she knew full well what Lisanna was referring to. She stayed quiet throughout Lisanna's little eye test, before finally saying something.

"D-don't you have class or something?" she asked, not noticing herself stammer.

Lisanna smirked. "Oh yeah. That's right."

"Uh huh."

"Hey, Lucy?" Lisanna suddenly asked. "Natsu invited me to see his concert for Major's Establishment if he ends up getting in. You wanna come with me?"

Lucy bit her lip. Going to the concert? Watching Natsu play up on stage with musicians on par with his skill level? Sure, it sounded like a dream come true, but there was one thing wrong.

"But… Natsu didn't invite me and-"

Before Lucy could finish framing her doubtful thought, though, Lisanna cut in.

"Oh please. He probably just forgot about it. Like he would mind you coming along with me." Lisanna rolled her eyes. "You guys hit it off so well. I'm sure you'll be like, best friends within a matter of weeks."

Lucy still looked doubtful. "I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings by coming without a proper invitation…"

Lisanna scoffed. "Oh please, Lucy. If anything, it would be better if we just surprised him! Oh, actually, what I would give to see the look on his face when he finds out you're at the concert to hear him perform."

Lucy smiled at that. "Actually, that would be pretty funny."

Lisanna nodded. "Exactly! So we just won't tell him about it!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hands together evilly. "Besides, have you ever heard him play?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. I haven't, actually."

"What! Lucy, you have to hear his music! It's like… the most breathtaking thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Plus he can really nail those high notes which I know require the extra fingerings."

Lucy didn't know much about the clarinet, so she decided to just go along with whatever Lisanna was talking about.

"Right," she nodded.

Lisanna grinned. "Well that settles it, then. You're coming to Major's Establishment with me. Oh! Do your parents have any interest in that sort of thing? It's a really formal event, so I'm sure you can bring your mom or dad along."

Lucy winced at the mention of her mother, but thought better of correcting Lisanna. She hadn't told her about her situation regarding her mother's death yet, so it would be better to stray away from the unwanted sympathy. Besides, her father adored classical music.

"I'm sure my father would enjoy something like it," she nodded. Lisanna smiled.

"Of course he will!"

Lucy nodded with a bittersweet smile. First, though, she would have to convince her father to actually go to the event. And Lucy knew very well how that could end up working out for her.

"Alright. I'll ask him."

…

Natsu took a deep breath as he stood outside the large door. Behind it, his fate would be decided. Behind this door, he would either be accepted or declined into the Major's Establishment event.

"Dragneel, Natsu," an advisor called. Natsu glanced over and nodded, picking up his flute case and walking into a small practice room. There were two people, a man and a woman, sitting at a table, writing something down in notebooks and smiling over at him. Natsu's eyes lingered on the lone seat in the middle of the room with a single, shaky music stand in front of it. Natsu walked over to it, setting the stand aside.

"You don't need the stand?" the woman questioned. She had long white hair and a white suit, and a confused smile plastered on her face.

Natsu shook his head. "Got everything memorized, Ma'am."

"Really," the man said. He had short red hair and was wearing a professional black suit.

The judges seemed to be impressed, so Natsu took this as a good sign.

"Alright. We'll do the sight reading last, then," the woman said, writing something down in the thick green book. Natsu nodded. "My name is Dovei, by the way. I'm the head conductor for Major's Establishment. If you impress, I'll be your conductor. This is my husband, Robini."

She seemed nice enough, Natsu concluded. Not as overbearing as Zalo was, for sure.

Robini then spoke up, "I'm head of participation here. Good to meet you, Natsu."

Natsu nodded. "Nice to meet you guys too, Dovei-san, Robini-san."

"Okay, Natsu, when did you sign up for this audition?" Robini asked.

"Yesterday evening."

Both Dovei and Robini's eyes widened, glancing through their notes. Natsu watched them in mild amusement as they looked at each other and back at him.

"You prepared the audition piece in a single night?" Dovei asked.

"And you got it memorized?" Robini asked.

Natsu nodded, unsure of their emotions. Were they happy about this? Angry? Confused? Sad? Natsu couldn't be too sure.

"Very well then, please, proceed," Dovei said, leaning back in her seat and waiting for Natsu to begin.

Natsu raised his flute to his lips, fixed his embouchure, and began to play.

It wasn't his best sound, but it definitely wasn't his worst. Upon glancing at Dovei and Robini, he saw their slightly opened mouths and their hands flying across the pages of their notebook. Natsu closed his eyes, opting to just focus on his playing.

A flat. E flat. F.

His memory was flying, always thinking about the bar after the one he was playing in the moment. It was an old trick every young musician knew. It helped with remembering later notes.

High D trill.

Oh how long he had practiced this. Natsu hoped it sounded okay to the judges. It sounded just fine to him, though it was always his fear that he was out of tune without knowing it.

Eight C sixteenth-notes.

On the break measure, Natsu took a deep breath.

He could do this.

…

Natsu staggered into his house, throwing off his formal shoes and jumping onto the couch.

He replayed the audition a few times in his head.

The thunderous applause Dovei and Robini gave him after he was finished.

The way they had so casually stated his chair number afterwards.

" _Natsu, you're an incredible flutist!" Dovei exclaimed, slapping her hands together and grinning broadly. "Robini and I already know where we're going to put you."_

" _Ehh?" Natsu asked. "But don't I have to wait for the results to come out next week just like everyone else?"_

 _Robini shook his head. "No, Natsu. There's no doubt in our minds for what chair you deserve."_

" _You had a single night to prepare this piece, and you memorized it and played it perfectly for us," Dovei praised. "Beautiful dynamics, articulation, your tuning was excellent. We know exactly where we're going to put you."_

 _Robini nodded as Natsu's eyes continuously got wider._

" _That's right," Robini said. "We're placing you on chair…"_

Natsu quickly shut his eyes, a large smile overtaking.

"You seem happy," Igneel said as he waltzed into the room. Natsu looked up from his position on the couch and sighed happily.

"I just got back from my audition at Major's Establishment," Natsu said, bringing a pillow to his chest.

Igneel grinned. "Oh yes, that's right! How'd you do?" he asked. "How do you think you did, Natsu? Think you'll get a good chair number?"

"They… already gave me my number," Natsu said incredulously.

Igneel's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!" he yelled, running up to Natsu. "Is that even allowed?! What! Natsu! What number?!"

Natsu smiled at his father's enthusiasm. Igneel's face was lit brightly and his eyes were wide with surprise. Natsu mentally chuckled, knowing how happy Igneel would be once he told him.

"Apparently I did really really well," he started.

"Yeah? I knew you could!" Igneel said, slapping his back. "What chair did you get?"

"They… I… I got first chair."

Igneel went silent.

He blinked a few times.

Natsu stared straight at him.

"You got… first chair…" Igneel muttered. Natsu could tell he was completely floored with shock. "My boy got first chair for the first time in his life…"

"Heh… yeah?"

"Natsu, pinch me."

"What?"

"Pinch me. I think I'm dreaming."

"Oi! Is it really that hard to believe?"

Igneel laughed, his cheeks wrinkling as his lips quirked upwards.

"No, it's just that… with your condition…"

Natsu smiled grimly. "Yeah. I know."

"No matter. I'm just so happy for you, my boy," Igneel grinned. "Tell you what, I'm going to help you prepare for the concert. Being first chair is a big deal, you know. You must live up to the title."

Natsu snorted. "Yeah. You've never gotten a chair _below_ first."

Igneel shrugged. "Like I said. Big deal."

Igneel's previous statement finally seemed to dawn on the pink haired flutist. He was going to… _help_ him? Igneel never helped, ever. Natsu never blamed him for it, though. He knew it was hard for him.

"You're really gonna help?" Natsu asked, his eyes big and hopeful.

Igneel nodded.

"Of course, my boy, of course."

* * *

 **Yaayyy Natsu got into Major's Establishment as first chair! Woop woop!**

 **Hey did I ever mention that I myself am a flutist?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Lots of reactions to me playing the flute, eh? Yeaahh I've been playing for a number of years now but I'm probably stopping next year. ;(**

 **I didn't really get a chance to edit this chapter, plus the entire thing was written on my phone. So welp.**

 **And heeyy! We hit 200 reviews! That's awesome! Thank y'all so much! ^_^**

* * *

Lucy creaked into the mansion, arms on her hips and a confident smile on her face. It had been ages since she had walked into the house with this kind of attitude, and she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

She stepped into the living room with a bright bean in her eyes. She had to speak to her dad. She had to convince him to go to Natsu's concert with her.

"Afternoon, Father."

Lucy stood poised and properly in the doorway, watching her father's head turn to face her. Lucy's hands were clasped in front of her stomach, her back was straightened, and her legs were snapped together. She looked professional and ready to do business.

Her father looked surprised.

"Good afternoon, Lucy. How was school?" he asked, getting out of his seat and meeting her intense gaze. Lucy's smile widened.

"I enjoyed myself," she replied. Jude nodded.

"Good. Anything interesting happen? he questioned. Lucy knew it was just an act, though. She could tell by the way he was speaking to her. He honestly had no reason to be a part of this conversation.

"Yes, actually. A friend of mine invited me to a concert. My other friend Natsu, you know him, is performing and she invited both of us," Lucy continued strongly.

Jude blinked. "Natsu? The boy who dropped you home that day?" Lucy inwardly flinched. His tone held a biting restraint that was just enough for her to catch. She mentally groaned.

"Yes. He's a clarinetist and got into an elite districts event. My friend Lisanna invited me to watch the concert with her," Lucy explained. "And she says you should come along too."

Jude raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Why would she invite me along?"

Lucy bit her lip nervously. "Look, Father, I know you like classical music and this is a live event! Wouldn't you… like to go?"

Jude looked as if he was pondering over the question. "I have a meeting that day."

Lucy sighed. "Father, I never even told you what night the concert's on."

Jude waved his hand in front of his face. "Yes yes, whatever. Anyhow, I can't attend."

"And why not?" Lucy demanded, stomping her foot down in distaste. Sure, her father wasn't usually reasonable, but this wasn't right. He needed to give her some kind of benefit, if anything.

"I'm not interested in some silly student show. If you want to take me to see professionals, that would be more than alright. Music performed by youngsters is just downright horrifying to hear. They can never get it right," Jude continued.

Lucy's nostrils flared and her cheeks surged red. "And what would you know?! This is a very professional event, Father! I'm sure you'd enjoy it very much!"

"I'm sure you will enjoy it. You may go without me, but I will not be accompanying you. I don't want to hurt my eardrums, and I advise you to do the same."

Could Lucy have left it at that? Yes. She could have decided then and there that she didn't need to go with her father, and rather just go with Lisanna and have fun. But she didn't want that. Because of everything her father had just said, she wanted to spite him. She wanted to make him come with her just for her to get her way.

Damn her competitive side.

"I would very much like it if you were to please come with me. This event means a lot to Natsu. He's a very good musician, I guarantee you," Lucy said in a low voice.

Jude raised an eyebrow. "Really. Have you ever heard him play?" he asked.

Lucy bit the inside flesh of her bottom lip. She nervously shook her head. "No. But I have heard from friends. They have all said that Natsu plays beautifully. I choose to believe them, and I suggest you do the same."

"And I choose to decline your suggestion," Jude replied smoothly. "What good can a high schooler do anyway? I doubt he's even half as good as proper, professional players. Like Ig. Neel, for example."

"Well, Natsu got _first chair_ for Major's Establishment, Father! I think that's good enough!" Lucy finally screeched.

She watched with mild curiosity as Jude's eyes dilated and went wide. His mouth opened slightly and Lucy could tell she- or rather, _Natsu-_ had rendered him completely speechless. Lucy knew getting a high chair number from a major event was a huge deal, and she could tell that her father knew it too.

"Major's Establishment? First chair? First chair at Major's Establishment?" Jude muttered under his breath. Lucy held her breath as she watched her father drink in the new information. "Did this Natsu friend of yours really get first chair at the Major's?"

Lucy could only nod. "He did, Father. Is that good enough for your haughty standards?" Lucy then gulped. Was that a little too much? She should have been more careful with her words…

"Yes. Okay. Fine. I'll accompany you to see this concert," Jude suddenly said.

Lucy blinked once, then twice. "Wait, really?" she asked incredulously.

Jude nodded. "Yes. I want to see for myself if the new event is going to live up to all the ruckus it's caused around town."

Lucy just stared.

"Uh…"

"It's going to be a formal event, Lucy. Make sure to find a nice dress for yourself. You can go shopping with your friends, if that is what you prefer."

Upon hearing that statement, Lucy was beyond excited and happy. Sure, she had just gone present shopping for Juvia with Natsu, Gray, and Erza, but _clothes_ shopping was completely different. It was something that was shared only between gal pals and Lucy was extremely grateful to have made herself some girl friends.

"I'll have to get out my nicer tuxedo," Jude was murmuring.

Lucy suddenly snapped out of her internal thoughts. "Oh, thank you so much, Father! I'm sure you'll really enjoy the concert!" she exclaimed quickly, before turning and exiting the room.

As Lucy walked up the stairs, she pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call.

When it picked up, Lucy screamed into her phone.

"Lisanna!" she yelped, just as she entered her room and locked the door behind her.

"Hey, Lucy!" Lisanna replied happily. "What's up?"

"My father agreed to come with me to Natsu's concert!" Lucy exclaimed, flopping onto her bed and bringing her knees up to her chest. "All is good to go!"

Lucy could practically _hear_ Lisanna's big smile. "That's awesome, Lucy! I actually just invited the rest of the girls, too!"

Lucy grinned. "Yeah? Who?"

"Erza, Juvia, Mira-nee, Cana, and Levy!" Lisanna replied. "We're all going later today to start shopping for dresses. You wanna come with?"

Lucy nodded, although she knew Lisanna couldn't see her. She felt suddenly silly for doing something like that. "Yeah, sure! Where're we meeting up?"

"We'll pick you up in fifteen minutes! Get ready quick!" Lisanna said.

Lucy giggled. "Okay! See you then!"

"Bye, Lucy!"

"Bye!"

Lucy clicked her phone shut, sighing evenly as she laid back on the soft covers of her four-poster canopy bed. She grinned happily, before remembering how much time she had and getting up to go over to her closet.

Checking the weather app on her phone, Lucy saw it was going to be relatively warm outside this time of day. She pulled out a short denim miniskirt and wrapped a thick brown belt around the waistline. She then paired it with a bright red halter top that was cropped slightly at the bottom. She slipped on green socks underneath dark brown boots that went up to her knees and moved to her dresser, where she tied her hair up in a side half-ponytail and held her golden strands together with a green ribbon.

A dress. She was going to buy a dress.

Lucy's mouth quirked down into a small frown. She hadn't worn a dress since the last time she had a ball to attend. Her father had made her go.

Ignoring the thought, she nodded to herself in the mirror, before grabbing her purse and making her way downstairs.

"Where are you going, Lucy?" Jude stopped her. Lucy turned and offered him a short smile.

"Lisanna's coming in a few minutes to pick me up. We're going shopping for the concert," she explained.

Jude nodded. "Alright," he said, before disappearing again. Lucy sighed, knowing she shouldn't have expected anything different. For now, she'd just have to settle with him coming to the concert in the first place.

She then received a short text.

 _Lisanna Strauss: We're in front of your house! Come quickly, I think Cana's about to burst from the massive amounts of alcohol she's been consuming._

Lucy giggled, before opening the front door and quickly spotting the minivan. She walked up to it, and the middle row doors opened for her. She peered in. Mira was driving and Lisanna was in the passenger seat, the middle row had two seats, but only one was occupied by Levy. The very back housed three people, Erza, Cana, and Juvia. Lucy smiled, before sliding into the seat next to Levy.

"Hi, Lu-chan!" Levy greeted warmly.

"Hey, Levy-chan!" Lucy sweetly replied.

"Glad you could make it, Lucy," Erza said from the backseat.

"Luccyyy wanna sip?" Cana asked, holding out a large bottle to her.

Lucy blushed, before shaking her head swiftly. "No thank you, Cana."

"Alright, ladies!" Mira called from the front. "Buckle up! Next stop, the mall!"

They whooped, before settling in for the ride ahead.

Lucy couldn't have been happier.

…

As the seven girls walked around the air-conditioned building, they began looking around for dresses.

"What do you even wear to see a concert?" Lucy asked as they eyed the displays of various different stores.

Levy spoke up, "Well, we should definitely have a wide spectrum of colors. Mostly pastels or darker colors like black, and nothing too bright."

Mira nodded. "The dresses should go at least till our knees, too," she said.

"They can't be too revealing, either," Juvia quickly added.

"Strapless is fine if the neckline is high enough," Erza said.

"They shouldn't be very fancy, either," Lisanna said.

"Oh and we should get some ballet flats too," Cana added.

Lucy blinked back her shocked gaze. "Honestly, how many concerts have you guys been to?" she asked, causing them all to chuckle.

"When you're in this friend group, you learn a few things," Mira giggled. "Especially when you're friends with Natsu."

Lucy nodded, understanding. "Right."

"Oh! Juvia likes the dresses in that store!" Juvia suddenly said, pointing to a shop in the middle of a long aisle. The others surveyed the display thoroughly, before nodding in agreement and approval.

"Those look good," Erza said.

They ventured into the store. It housed plenty of long and short dresses, and the girls instantly separated to go find outfits for themselves. Mira and Cana went in one direction, Lisanna and Juvia went in another, Erza went somewhere by herself, and Lucy and Levy stayed to look at the front displays.

But something was wrong. Lucy looked at all the dresses, and a familiar pit feeling began to arrive in her stomach.

She didn't want to wear a dress.

"Lu-chan! You'd look great in this one!" Levy said, holding out a short black dress with a sweetheart neckline. Lucy scrunched her nose in slightly.

"I dunno… it seems a little plain," she said, trying to ignore the feeling.

Levy nodded. "I gotcha. What color are you looking for?"

"Maybe a pink?" Lucy said, looking through a few racks. " _Oh!_ "

Lucy then pulled out a pink chiffon dress. It had a silvery halter top that ended just above the waistline and was held together with the bottom by a thick black strip. The bottom part of the dress was light pink and flowy, ending at the floor.

"That one is beautiful!" Levy squealed.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm going to try it on." Her tone was bland, but Levy didn't seem to notice.

She then saw the dress Levy was holding. It was a long strapless dress that was a singular color. Orange. It went to the floor and had a bow at the waistline.

"That really suits you," Lucy noted.

Levy grinned. "Right?"

The two went to the changing room area, where Juvia was standing in front of a mirror, twirling around in her own dress.

Levy and Lucy both gasped.

It was a dark blue high-low style with ruffles at the bottom. It was sleeveless and was relatively simple, but the way Juvia was wearing it was absolutely _perfect_. It hugged all her curves and she looked beautiful.

"Do you think Gray-sama will like Juvia in this dress?" Juvia asked nervously.

Lucy just nodded dumbly. "Yeah. Yeah he really will."

Levy winked. "Not that you need it or anything. Gray likes you in literally everything!"

Juvia blushed, meekly thanking the two of them before going back into her dressing room.

Then, Mira and Lisanna stepped out, each wearing their own outfits.

Mira's was also very simple. It was a plain gray color and the sleeves fell off-shoulder. There were no patterns, and no designs, but Lucy could tell Mira really liked it. Plus, she looked breathtaking.

Lisanna was wearing a shorter light blue dress that fell just below her ankles. The threading was criss-crossed at the top part, and then was flowy at the bottom.

"You two look _gorgeous_!" Levy exclaimed.

Mira and Lisanna looked over themselves with a satisfied nod.

"Thanks, Levy," they said.

When the last two members of their group stepped out, Lucy had gotten used to her friend's beauty.

Cana's dress was dark brown and fell to her knees. It had spaghetti straps and a chestnut band running along the waistline.

Erza, though, was something else entirely.

Lucy always knew Erza held great pride in her body, but this was completely floor-sweeping.

It was yellow, strapless, and backless. There was a cut at the right leg that ran all the way up to the waist. It hugged every inch of her body, yet was still not revealing in the slightest. Lucy decided it was just probably the way she was standing, with all that confidence.

One day, Lucy was going to be as bold as the redhead.

"We all look lovely," Erza said. "Levy? Lucy? Try yours on."

Lucy gulped, sliding into the fitting room nervously.

She couldn't do this. She never liked wearing fancy dresses. They reminded her too much of how secluded she was back at home. Whenever she dressed up like this, it was always for some kind of marriage interview or formal event.

She felt trapped.

Without a word, she slipped into the chiffon dress and held the handle to the outside of the room. There, she knew the others were waiting patiently for her, but she still didn't feel too good.

"Lucy?" she heard Levy call out to her.

Lucy gulped. "Y-yeah?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." Lucy took a deep breath. She had to do this. She wanted to prove to herself that she _wasn't_ like that anymore. She couldn't let this get to her.

So she turned the doorknob, and stepped outside.

The first reactions she got were gasps. Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Lucy," Mira breathed. "I knew you were pretty, but this is amazing!"

Lucy glanced over to the mirror and smiled. Indeed, she did look good. The dress fit perfectly around her chest and hips and snugly fit around her curves. Although the bottom of the dress hid her creamy legs from view, it was sleeveless so her arms were up for display.

She then looked at Levy, who had also finished changing.

"Levy-chan! You're so cute!" she instantly exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about her own troubles.

Levy grinned. "You think?"

Levy's dress was also very good looking on her. Levy herself was adorable, and the dress accentuated that fact perfectly.

Both Lucy and Levy looked great, and the others made sure to let them know.

Lucy inwardly smiled.

Maybe this really wasn't so bad.

…

The girls exited the store, bags swinging in their hands. After buying the dresses, they were headed to the food court to eat dinner.

"I'm glad we could do this today," Lisanna smiled. "It's been a while since we got some girl time to ourselves."

The others nodded in agreement.

"The boys are always so intrusive," Erza rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Juvia happens to enjoy Gray-sama's company!" Juvia exclaimed.

"Yes, but it's nice to have time for your girl friends every once in a while," Cana said, agreeing with Erza.

"Don't get me wrong, I love the guys, but this really is nice," Levy laughed.

Mira was staring straight ahead. Her lips were parted and her eyes were wide.

"Uh… girls?" she said, but no one noticed her.

"And they're so loud!" Lucy giggled.

"And nosy!" Lisanna nodded.

"Girls," Mira started again. "I think we jinxed it."

It was then when they noticed.

Right there, in front of them, were Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, Jellal, and Elfman, all holding the same bags.

Lucy's eyes popped out of her skull.

Gray seemed to notice them too, as he silently pointed over to them and the other boys turned to see what was going on. Their eyes all widened when they saw the seven girls holding bags and looking at them weirdly.

"Great. Just great," Cana rolled her eyes.

"And I was hoping for an evening _without_ them," Erza muttered.

"Gajeel? What are you doing here?" Levy asked as the two groups moved closer together.

Gajeel grunted. "Getting tuxes for Salamander's concert," he said.

"Oh!" Levy said. "What a coincidence. We were just getting dresses for the concert!"

Lucy missed Natsu's eyes snap towards her.

Instead, she laughed and nodded.

"You heard her. Your girlfriend got herself a really pretty dress," she winked towards the larger man. "Try to resist."

Levy and Gajeel's faces both heated up.

"L-Lu-chan!" she yelled, slapping her best friend silly.

Lucy just grinned.

"The concert's in a week. Couldn't you have just, like, I don't know, wait till the last second like you usually do?" Cana groaned. "Then we wouldn't have had to bump into you guys."

"No can do," Gray rolled his eyes.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia yelled, running over to her boyfriend and hugging him senseless. "Juvia missed you so much!"

Gray looked like he was suffocating. "J-Juvia… can't… breathe…"

Juvia instantly let go. "Oh! Juvia is sorry! She just missed you!"

Gray chuckled. "But we literally just saw each other a few hours ago at school!"

As the couple began to talk, Lucy finally glanced over to where Natsu was, and their gazes locked. Lucy's eyes were wide with surprise, while Natsu's were wide with shock. Lucy tried to pull away from his stare, but found it completely impossible. It was like something was forcing her not to look away.

"You guys were… shopping for dresses? For my concert?" Natsu suddenly asked.

The girls nodded.

"Yup!" Mira said. "We're all coming to see you, Natsu!"

Natsu gulped, his eyes still not leaving Lucy's. Lucy suddenly got nervous as a wave of realization seemed to hit Natsu, or that was what it looked like to her, at least.

Natsu then walked swiftly in front of the blonde and spoke lowly into her ear. "Can I talk to you, Lucy?"

Lucy could only nod, as he grabbed her hand and whisked her away.

They walked for a while, and Lucy was unsure what he was doing. It seemed as if he wanted to take her somewhere private. She glanced over her shoulder to see the others staring at them. She looked back to Natsu, who had a determined look on his face as he spun her into an alley of the mall's hallways.

"Don't come to my concert."

…

Natsu was panicking. He was scared. If Lucy was coming to watch him play, she would see him with a flute instead of a clarinet. If she saw him with a flute, she would know he was Stranger.

Everything would change between them.

Lucy wouldn't talk to him. He liked talking to her. He enjoyed his friendship with her. She would think it was all awkward and he wouldn't get to be her friend anymore.

Lucy would also probably get angry at him for keeping it hidden from her for so long. He couldn't let that happen.

But above all, Natsu was scared. If she found out, then everything would go wrong for him. He didn't know why, but he felt as if Lucy trusted _Stranger_ , not _Natsu_.

Yes. That was exactly it. She didn't tell Natsu any of her secrets. She told Stranger. To her, Stranger and Natsu were two different people.

Natsu didn't want her to suddenly stop trusting him.

So he had no choice.

He had to make sure she didn't come to his concert.

Too bad he missed the short blue haired girl staring at the two of them from a distance.

Too bad he didn't see his fellow band mate before he started rambling.

Too bad he didn't catch Wendy looking at him and Lucy.

"Don't come to my concert," he started.

Lucy's eyes widened. "What?" she asked. Natsu could tell she was confused.

"I said, don't come to my concert," he repeated.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. "And why not?"

"I didn't invite you!" It was the only argument Natsu could think about at the moment.

"Yeah, but you didn't invite all those other girls either! You just invited Lisanna. Lisanna invited all of us!"

"Yeah, but she wasn't supposed to invite you!"

Lucy stiffened. "I'm confused. Why shouldn't she have invited me? I wanna see you play your clarinet too, you know."

There it was. _Clarinet_. Not flute. _Clarinet_.

It was at this time when Natsu wished he hadn't fibbed about that all those weeks ago.

"You can watch me play another time. Actually scratch that. I don't want ya' to watch me play."

"Why not?" Lucy asked. "What did I do to you?"

"Nothing! I just don't wanna play for you!"

Natsu was rambling and he knew it. He knew it didn't mean what he was saying. In reality, he _ached_ to play for Lucy. He wanted her to hear his music, tell him what she thought of it, and then keep playing for her.

He wanted her to accept him. Not only as a flutist, but as a person in whole.

But he couldn't do that. Not yet, anyways.

"You don't want to play for me?" Lucy asked. "But I really thought that… I don't know… we were friends?"

Natsu's eyes widened. "We're friends, but you're not close enough to me to be able to hear my music."

There. That was a good enough argument. And it made perfectly good sense too. He didn't want to play for her because he didn't know her well enough.

So why were her eyes becoming red?

He didn't say anything wrong, as far as he knew.

… Did he?

"Fine," she said, turning around so he couldn't see her face anymore.

Natsu bit his lip as she began to walk away.

"W-wait!" he called out desperately. He didn't mean to call out her again. This was for the better.

Oh dammit he was such a wimp.

A coward.

A hopeless coward who didn't want to hurt his newest friend.

She didn't answer his call to wait. Instead, he saw her whip out her phone and type something furiously.

Just as she turned the corner, his own phone chimed. It was a text. From… Pretty Stranger.

 _Pretty Stranger: I've just been hurt. Not from my father. In fact, this hurts more than any amount he could ever cause._

...

Wendy stared at the two of them.

All she wanted to do was get a dress for the concert. She had gotten third chair in the junior clarinet round for Major's Establishment, and had come shopping with Jellal. Her older brother had been invited to go tux shopping with Natsu, so Wendy went with her own friends to find a nice outfit.

But she didn't expect to run into Natsu fighting with a pretty girl.

Was that even a fight? Wendy couldn't tell. It seemed more one sided if anything.

She didn't know exactly why Natsu said all of those things, but of course, she knew he didn't mean it. She knew him far too well for something like that.

Wendy sighed.

She had to fix this, whatever it was.

* * *

 **Hah. And you thought it was gonna be easy. ;)**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yoyoyo what's poppin'.**

 **Enjoy this chapter! Thanks for all your awesome reviews!**

* * *

She wouldn't let the tears fall.

She wasn't going to let the tears fall.

She refused to let the tears fall.

Oh, screw it.

She let the tears fall.

They were salty and wet and stained her cheeks. Her vision blurred over and her breath hitched as she walked through the mall, trying to find an exit. All she wanted to do was go home, eat ice cream, and rant to Stranger without any interruptions by stupid boys.

Stupid Natsu. _Stupid_ Natsu. Stupid _Natsu_. _Stupid Natsu_.

"Lucy! Lucy! Lucy wait!"

It was Stupid Natsu again. Lucy shook her head roughly, not wanting to face him. His multiple calls drowned her ears out, but she still refused to turn.

She could faintly hear the soft gasps from her friends when she did end up passing them. She heard Levy's quick inhale, Erza's breath hitch, and Gray mutter something under his breath.

"Lu-chan?" Levy asked, walking up to her when Lucy stopped. "Why are you crying?"

Lucy didn't answer. She leaned down to grab her knees, breathing heavily. Her mind was clouded with thoughts and she knew she was overreacting. There was no reason to be acting this way because of something Stupid Natsu had said. Stupid Natsu shouldn't have held that much importance to her. It was just Stupid Natsu.

"Lucy?" a rough voice interrupted her thoughts. Lucy's eyes darted up to meet with Gray's. He reached a tentative hand out to her and his eyebrows raised gently. "What's wrong with you?"

Lucy just stared at him, the glossy overcoat on her eyes beginning to her heavier. "Well you c-can just go tell your _stupid_ friend that I never want to speak with him again."

Gray looked confused. "Stupid friend? Who are you… oh shit."

Lucy glanced back to where Gray was looking to see Natsu standing in front of the group, breathing heavily and holding his knees steady.

"Oh crap, Lucy, what did the idiot do to you?" Gray asked again, biting his lip and looking at her nervously.

Lucy just shook her head. "You know what, I don't have time for this," she said, turning to Natsu, "forget it. If you don't want to play for me, I can't do anything about that."

"Lucy…" Natsu started, but she was too quick for him. With one flick of her head, she turned and swiftly marched away.

She could faintly hear Gray grab Natsu and yell, "Dude, what the fuck did you do to her?!"

…

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I've just been hurt. Not from my father. In fact, this hurts more than any amount he could ever cause._

Lucy stared down at the text she had sent over an hour ago. She laid on her bed, her feet sprawled around her and her hair loose. She desperately wanted to talk to her anonymous friend.

Then, finally, her phone pinged.

 _Stranger: I'm sorry._

 _Stranger: For you, I mean._

 _Stranger: Sorry._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: It's not your fault. I just didn't expect something like that to happen._

Suddenly, she got another message outside of her chat with Stranger. When her phone rang twice, she exited out of the message box to see two new messages from different people. One was from Levy, and the other was from Gray.

 _Levy McGarden: Lu-chan, are you sure you're okay? Did Natsu do something to you? Lu please respond._

Guilt immediately flooded Lucy as she quickly went to type out a reply.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I'm really sorry, Levy-chan! Yeah, Natsu did do something but I think I just overreacted a bit. I'm fine. No need to worry about me!_

 _Levy McGarden: Okay, if you say so, Lu-chan. I'm always here to talk if you need!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Thanks, Levy-chan._

 _Levy McGarden: Of course!_

Lucy sighed, before clicking into the other thread she had with Gray to read his own message to her.

 _Gray Fullbuster: What on Earthland did Natsu do to you? I tried to get him to tell me but he wouldn't._

Lucy inwardly winced.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: He hurt me._

He was Gray. He deserved to know that much at least.

 _Gray Fullbuster: Lucy…_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I'm fine, Gray. It just kind of hit home, I guess._

 _Gray Fullbuster: What did he say? I swear to God Lucy you better tell me what he said or I_ will _get Erza to come get you._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Please don't._

 _Gray Fullbuster: So you're going to tell me what he did to you?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I never said that._

And then her phone started vibrating. Lucy squeaked, almost letting go of her hold on the device and almost letting it fall flat onto her face. She glanced at the caller I.D., groaning when she saw it was Gray.

Reluctantly, she answered.

"Lucy. Tell me," was the first thing she heard from the opposite end.

"Geez. Hello to you too, Gray," she responded sarcastically.

"I don't have time for hello's or goodbye's or whatever the hell you want. Now Lucy, tell me what that bastardly freakish pimp did to you right now."

Lucy bit her lip. "First, tell me what you asked him and what he told you."

She could hear Gray's long sigh. "I just asked him why you stormed out crying like that and he was all like 'Why'd you let her go?' and 'I'm an idiot and I gotta make it up to her' and 'Where'd she go?' so I'm here, asking why he reacted like that."

Lucy stiffened. She knew Gray wouldn't lie to her, but she couldn't say she wasn't confused at why Natsu seemed so adamant on finding her. Clearly he made his point, so what was the need for all of that?

"Really," she said. Her tone didn't necessarily suggest disbelief, but it definitely portrayed her confusion.

"Yes, really. So please tell me, Lucy," Gray started again, but this time, his voice was a lot softer than before.

Lucy took a deep breath, before spilling. "He told me he didn't want me to come to his concert because he doesn't want to play his clarinet for me. Then he made up all these different make-believe excuses before finally settling on the fact that I haven't known him for as long as the others, and that's why he doesn't want to let me hear his music."

Gray sucked in a quick breath, and Lucy could tell he was thinking about something, or rather about what she had just told him.

"Don't listen to him," Gray said right after.

"What? What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"I mean, don't listen to him. He's just spouting nonsense and of course he wants you to hear him play his flu-clarinet. Even though I've known you for longer, anyone can tell how close you two are. You hit it off so well, so don't listen to him and just come to the concert with us anyway," Gray finished.

"But he doesn't want me there," Lucy pressed. "I'm not about to go somewhere where I'm not welcome."

"You _are_ welcome. Everyone wants you there," Gray replied immediately.

"Natsu doesn't," Lucy pointed out.

"Who cares about him?"

"I care about him!"

Gray didn't answer for a while. "Hey, Lucy… do you, you know, like him?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" Lucy asked in a voice just above a whisper. "Why would you ask that? Of course I don't. I haven't known him long enough for something like that."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"Well, you don't sound too sure," Gray retorted.

"Oh please, Gray, just go back to your own girlfriend, would you?" Lucy groaned.

Gray laughed. "Okay, okay, maybe I'm jumping to some conclusions."

"Maybe?" Lucy muttered. She could tell he was grinning, and all she wanted to do was wipe that stupid smile off of his face. She loved talking to Gray. He provided the comfort a guy friend could, all while being completely open with her to her own feelings and emotions.

"Alright alright. I should get going. Juvia's been begging me for a date all week and today was finally the day I was free for dinner," Gray said.

Lucy exhaled. "Alright. Have fun. Gray!" she said happily, her previous thoughts about Natsu completely gone.

"Yep. And don't forget to come to the concert!" Gray said. "Bye!"

"We'll see. Bye," Lucy said, before the line went off.

She sighed, leaning back in her bed and going back to the messages section of her phone. There was a chain of unread messages from Stranger, which made her almost slap herself because of her stupidity. She had forgotten about her previous ongoing conversation with him! He must have thought she was a completely jerk.

 _Stranger: Are you okay?_

 _Stranger: What happened?_

 _Stranger: Did someone do something to you?_

 _Stranger: Pretty Stranger, please answer me._

 _Stranger: What happened to you?_

 _Stranger: You were just online!_

 _Stranger: Where'd ya go?_

 _Stranger is typing…_

Lucy's eyes widened. She quickly moved to type a message before his could send through.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Woah, sorry! I was talking to someone. Sorry about that._

Lucy smiled with satisfaction upon seeing his typing symbol disappear for a few seconds, before it reappeared again.

 _Stranger: Oh okay. Now tell me what happened._

He seemed awfully keen on finding out what was going on, but Lucy didn't pay much mind to that.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: A (stupid) friend of mine decided he didn't want me watching him do one of his hobbies because I wasn't that close with him._

 _Stranger: Why did that hurt you?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Because I honestly thought we were friends?_

 _Stranger: And?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Friends don't do that to each other, Stranger. Like you, for example, you'd never do something like this to me, because you're a real friend. Maybe the other guy and I weren't actually friends. Maybe that's it._

 _Stranger: NO!_

Lucy lifted an eyebrow.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: What?_

 _Stranger: No! That isn't it!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: How can you be so sure?_

 _Stranger: Because… this guy and I must have a similar mindset or something._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Really._

 _Stranger: Yeah!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Whatever._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Also you're no help at all._

 _Stranger: Oi!_

 _Stranger: I happen to think of myself as a really helpful person!_

Lucy couldn't help but smile.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Bye, Stranger._

She quickly shut her phone off before she could see his incoming reply.

She needed to go for a walk and just think about everything.

…

Lucy left the house quickly so she wouldn't have to see her father upon passing his study. She really did not want to deal with him at the moment. She took a deep breath, looking out into the streets and beginning to leisurely stroll down the sidewalk.

' _Maybe I_ should _go to the concert. Just to spite Natsu,'_ she thought, slipping her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts.

The cool breeze hit her straight blonde hair and Lucy was sure she had a few knots in it. Ignoring the minor worry, she shook her previous thought out of her mind.

If she went to Natsu's concert out of spite for him, she'd just feel even worse about it afterwards. He had made it clear that he didn't want her to be there, and she would just have to suck it up and live with his decision.

"Lucy?" a familiar voice called out to her just as she was about to cross the road. Lucy glanced behind her to see a tall blue-haired man with a shorter, blue-haired girl next to him. Lucy, recognizing the man, smiled broadly.

"Jellal? Hi! What're you doing in this part of the neighborhood?" she asked, turning fully and walking up to the two of them.

Jellal smiled. "I live a few streets away. Wendy and I were just on a walk."

"Wendy?" Lucy questioned, before glancing down and meeting the shorter girl in eye-contact. "Is this her?"

"Yep. She's my little sister. She goes to the junior high," Jellal explained. "Wendy, meet Lucy. Lucy, meet Wendy."

Lucy definitely recognized the name. On the day when she and the group walked home together, Natsu had brought her up as the girl that set up Jellal and Erza on his command.

This innocent-looking girl set her older brother up with Erza?

Lucy shook her head. No. That was probably all Natsu's doing.

"Hi there," Lucy said, leaning down so she could better speak to the younger girl. "Nice to meet you! I'm Lucy. I go to school with your brother."

Wendy nodded, a smile overtaking her lips. "Hi, Lucy! I'm Wendy. Natsu talks about you."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up. "Natsu?" she questioned, before remembering. "Oh! That's right! You play with Natsu in the band, right?"

Wendy nodded. "Yeah. I play clarinet."

"Oh, same as Natsu. That makes sense, I guess," Lucy shrugged. She missed Wendy stiffen, but thankfully she relaxed a moment later.

"Yup! Ditto same!" Wendy said, laughing awkwardly. Lucy cocked her head to the side, but didn't question her odd behavior.

Besides, Lucy already liked this girl. She seemed nice.

Jellal then spoke up. "Look, Gray told me about what happened… well, a little bit of it, anyway. I managed to make out the rest of the story from Natsu's incoherent babbles earlier."

Lucy nodded, understanding. "Yeah."

"Lucy. Go to Natsu's concert." But it wasn't Jellal who said this. It was _Wendy_.

Lucy's eyes widened and her gaze snapped down to the navy-blue haired girl. Wendy was smiling softly at her and tilting her head to the right slightly.

"What?" Lucy asked slowly.

"You heard me. Natsu talks about you at rehearsals. He likes your company. He wants you to go watch him play."

Lucy stood still. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Wendy sighed. "Okay. Let me confess. I overheard your argument with Natsu from earlier today at the mall. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was just there and happened to hear."

"You… did?" Lucy asked, still frozen still.

Wendy nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry about that, but please, you have to listen to me when I say that Natsu really didn't mean any of that."

"But he was-"

"Of course he wants you to hear him play! You're his friend!"

She sounded so _sincere_ , Lucy almost believed her.

"Yeah, but he sure didn't make me feel like it," she said finally.

"Lucy, you have to believe me," Wendy pressed. Jellal stood silent, watching his little sister communicate with his friend.

"I don't know…"

"I think he's just scared," Jellal added softly. "You know, of how you might react to hearing him play."

Wendy nodded, going with what her brother said. "Yes, Lucy, he's scared, and you have to show him that there's nothing to be afraid of," she said. "Sure, it may seem a little hard, but trust me, he wants you there in the audience, watching him play his instrument."

Lucy stilled, taking a deep breath.

First, it was Gray who told her. Then, it was Stranger. Now Wendy, and even Jellal was telling her to go to the concert.

But Natsu's words refused to leave her mind.

"I'll… I'll think about it," Lucy said finally.

Wendy nodded.

"I couldn't ask for more."

So Lucy thanked the girl and her brother, before saying goodbye and taking her leave. She stuck her hands back in her short's pockets and turned, making her way back to her house.

Maybe she _would_ go to the concert after all.

* * *

 **We're nearing the end of the first arc! Whoop whoop! Chapter 13 will be the final chapter of this first arc ("Their Friendship") and Chapter 14 will begin the second arc ("His Problems")!**

 **Thanks for reading! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Writing this chapter was _so. much. fun._**

 **And you're about to find out why. ;)**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 _5:47 A.M.  
_ _Stranger: Good morning, Pretty Stranger! Can I just say that whatever your friend didn't want you to go to sounds really appealing?_

 _7:28 A.M.  
_ _Stranger: Did I mention that you should totally go for it?_

 _8:04 A.M.  
_ _Stranger: Pretty sure he wants you to be there. Just saying._

 _11:37 A.M.  
_ _Stranger: I'm just sitting here thinking about how you should totally still go. I get that your friend was a jerk, but still._

 _1:59 P.M.  
_ _Stranger: You shouldn't let whatever he said to you stop you from going._

 _2:16 P.M.  
_ _Stranger: Seriously, Pretty Stranger. Go._

 _5:43 P.M.  
_ _Stranger: Please?_

 _7:01 P.M.  
_ _Stranger: Why the heck haven't ya replied yet._

 _9:49 P.M.  
_ _Stranger: Are ya ignoring me? Pretty Straanggeerrrr… pleaseee goooo!_

 _10:59 P.M.  
_ _Stranger: Okay. I get it. Please think about it?_

Lucy's hand clenched around her phone as she kept rereading the messages her anonymous friend had sent her throughout the day. She hadn't bothered replying all day because she wanted to wait for as much time possible till she absolutely had to, but Stranger was strangely adamant on making sure she went to Natsu's concert, which made Lucy more than a little suspicious. He couldn't have known, though. That was obviously impossible.

She sighed, forming a stale reply.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: What's up with you?_

His response came within seconds.

 _Stranger: Nothing! I'm just telling you that you should totally goooo._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I don't know…_

 _Stranger: Pretty Stranger._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Mhm?_

 _Stranger: Go. Please. Prove to yourself that you don't need to listen to that jerk friend of yours._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: But…_

 _Stranger: But what?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: It's tomorrow night. I don't know if I should anymore. I don't even know if one of my other friends will still offer me a ride._

It was a stupid argument, and Lucy knew it. She knew, of course, that Lisanna wouldn't hesitate to give her a ride. She was too good of a friend for something like that. Lucy's doubts had been continuously making her uneasy for the past few days, and she still hadn't come to a definite conclusion of whether or not she should go to the concert.

 _Stranger: They will. Pretty Stranger, go to the damn thing._

Lucy giggled under her breath, strangely amused by Stranger's choice of language. She glanced at the clock, which read a half hour till midnight. Her father had told her to go to bed a little while back, so she knew she couldn't spend too much time talking to Stranger.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I'll think about it._

 _Stranger: Seriously. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT?! All you gotta do is get that ride and take that ride to the thing and have a blast and be all happy about it because damn you got through it and yay you did it and whoop you're a great person for going and yeah. Seriously? Just. Do. It._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Stranger…_

 _Stranger: GO_

 _Stranger: TO_

 _Stranger: THE_

 _Stranger: THING_

 _Stranger: Okay?_

Lucy bit her lip inwardly. Well, what did she have to lose?

…

Pain shot through Natsu's hand as his fist tightened around his phone, waiting anxiously for Lucy to reply to him.

He was just so done with himself. Why did he have to do all of that to her? If he hadn't, then none of this would be happening right now. Lucy would have gone to the concert, learned about him being Stranger, and they would continue life like usual but with more awkward tension around them.

Besides, if he was going to try to make her go, what was the point in ambushing her a few days ago at the mall? Why did he have to make her cry like that if he was just going to end up inviting her anyway?

He really was an idiot, not that he hadn't already told himself this hundreds of times over the course of the past few weeks since he knew Lucy.

When his phone finally chimed with an incoming text, his eyes wavered slightly before they dragged down towards the illuminated screen.

 _Pretty Stranger: Okay._

His eyes widened.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Okay what?_

 _Pretty Stranger: Okay. Fine. I'll go to the thing._

She was going to his concert.

Oh _crap_ she was going to his concert.

That meant she would finally find out about him being Stranger. That meant that she would be the angriest she'd ever be because of him. That meant that she would finally realize everything as it was.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Really? You will? Yay okay!_

 _Pretty Stranger: Whatever. This is all your fault._

 _Natsu Dragneel: I do love myself sometimes._

 _Pretty Stranger: There's the door._

Natsu laughed out loud.

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'm happy you decided to go. Good for you, Pretty Stranger._

Her reply was delayed by a few seconds, so Natsu could tell she was thinking.

 _Pretty Stranger: Thank you._

He silently grinned to himself, throwing his phone onto his nightstand and hastily plugging the charger into the bottom port. He jumped into his bed, rolling the covers around him before receiving yet another text.

His conversation with Lucy was clearly over, so Natsu wondered who it could be. With a raised eyebrow, he reached over to grab his phone again and stole a peek.

 _Unknown: We have just finished packing. We should be there by noon tomorrow._

Natsu's breath caught in his throat. This was probably Zeref. His brother was texting him. He didn't remember him getting Natsu's number, so Natsu assumed that Igneel must have given it to him.

 _Unknown: By the way, this is your brother._

Quickly updating Zeref's contact information, Natsu sloppily formed a reply.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Zeref! Hi!_

 _Zeref Dragneel: Hello._

 _Natsu Dragneel: You're coming with your girlfriend, right? I wanna meet her!_

 _Zeref Dragneel: She is actually my fiancé now. And yes, we are both looking forward to it._

Natsu blinked.

There was no way…

 _Natsu Dragneel: Fiancé?_

 _Zeref Dragneel: You seem surprised. Is there something dysfunctioning in your brain? Do you need a doctor?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: No… it's just that ya don't really seem the type to get married?_

 _Zeref Dragneel: Time really has passed, Natsu._

What was streaming down his cheek was not a tear. He was not crying. This was just… _liquid pride_. Yes. It was liquid pride. He felt proud of his brother for getting engaged and that was it. He was not sad. He could not be sad.

This was Zeref. This was his brother.

His brother who he hadn't seen in over five years.

Heck, he was crying. He was totally crying.

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'm happy for ya, Zeref._

 _Zeref Dragneel: I hope to see you soon, Natsu. We have much to talk about._

 _Natsu Dragneel: If you're coming at noon that means I won't be able to see you until after my concert. I have rehearsal all day._

 _Zeref Dragneel: Don't overexert yourself._

 _Natsu Dragneel: I know._

 _Zeref Dragneel: You remember your breathing exercises, correct?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Yeah of course. I do them before every rehearsal and concert._

 _Zeref Dragneel: I still do not understand why you chose to play an instrument as your elective and extracurricular. With your condition, would you not think of it as being simply reckless?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: I like it._

Zeref had never been much of a fan of Natsu being a flute player. True, he did have a point. Because of Natsu's condition, he was pretty limited when it came to how much he could play in one time, so during rehearsals he usually practiced a little at a time and took consistent breaks in between songs and verses.

 _Zeref Dragneel: Mavis is calling me to come and give her a hug. I should get going._

 _Natsu Dragneel: A hug? T.M.I., Zeref._

 _Zeref Dragneel: She is like that. You will see. Bye, Natsu._

 _Natsu Dragneel: See ya, Zeref!_

When Zeref's 'online' cursor changed to 'offline', Natsu frowned and threw his phone back onto the nightstand. He reached for the light switch, and shut it closed.

He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

…

Lucy strode confidently into the school campus that next day. Her head was held high and Stranger's words were constantly on repeat in the depths of her brain. He was right. She had to go to the concert to prove to herself that she didn't have to take shit from Natsu.

Her eyes darted around, aimlessly looking for Lisanna. She had to ask her if she was still offering her and her father a ride to the concert later that same night.

When she finally spotted the white-haired beauty, her eyes widened upon noticing who was standing next to her. Natsu was talking to Lisanna, and it didn't look like they were about to stop any time soon.

Lucy steadied herself, ready to go just give up and turn around before realizing that this would be the perfect opportunity to get herself ready for later that night. If she faced Natsu right now, then maybe if they saw each other at the concert, he would be less surprised.

Lucy took a deep breath, before walking up to the duo.

"Hey, Lisanna," she said, momentarily ignoring Natsu completely. From the corner of her eye, she could see Natsu staring at her. "You're still giving me and my father a ride, right?"

Lisanna nodded. "Of course, Lucy!" she said, smiling brightly. "We'll pick you up at around five o'clock. Natsu was actually just about to leave early for extra rehearsals."

Lucy then quickly stole a glance at Natsu. "But school literally just started. What was the point of coming if you're going to leave anyway?"

Natsu, who had a huge smile for some strange reason, just shrugged. "Had to talk to ya', of course!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're coming to the concert, right?" he asked, pretending not to hear her.

Lucy quirked an eyebrow at him. Why was he acting so casual about this whole thing? Was this really the same guy who had made her cry only a few days before?

"Uh… yeah. I am. You got a problem with that?" She didn't mean to sound that harsh, but she found that it just tumbled out.

"Nope!" Natsu replied. "Glad you could come! I'll see ya' there, I guess!"

Lucy was surprised her eyes weren't popping out of her skull by now. _What was he saying_? Just a few days ago he was close to yelling at her and demanding for her not to go, and now he was happily telling her that she should come? Was she hallucinating? No, that couldn't be it. Natsu was definitely in front of her right now and telling her to go.

"What?" she asked in a slight whisper. Her eyes locked tightly with Natsu's and they had a mini stare-off, before his gaze snapped away.

"I'm sorry about what I did to you that day," he said quietly enough so Lisanna could no longer hear them. They were standing closely together anyway, so his level of voice wasn't really that necessary.

"Are you really?" she questioned, her gaze lifting to meet his once again. Natsu nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry," he said, playing with his fingers below his chest.

"I don't know whether or not to believe it," Lucy said back.

Natsu visibly gulped, which just made Lucy more confused. "If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't be telling you to come today. Lucy, please come to my concert."

Hearing it from Natsu himself was like a breath of fresh air as her shoulders instantly relaxed and relief washed over her. Lucy's eyes softened and she couldn't help a small hint of a smile creep onto her face.

"I thought I already told you I was coming," she said, her voice further refining her happiness.

Natsu's face broke into a heartwarming grin.

"Good," he nodded, before coughing awkwardly and stepping back from her. They both locked eyes one final time, and Natsu spoke again, "Well I better get going."

"Uh huh," a new voice cut in. Both Natsu and Lucy's heads snapped in its direction, seeing Lisanna still standing there with her arms crossed and a very smug look painting the delicate features of her face. "Yeah, Natsu, you should get going. You'll have time to flirt with Lucy afterwards."

Natsu and Lucy's cheeks were both burning red by the time she was finished speaking. Casting a weird look at her, Natsu silently lifted his right hand to wave to the two girls and sauntered away without another word.

When he was safely away, Lisanna turned to Lucy with her eyebrows high on her face.

"What were you saying about not liking him?" she asked, the smile staying on her lips. Lucy rolled her eyes, pushing her friend away with a playful snort.

"Oh please. Like I could ever like a fool like him," she said.

Forgiving Natsu was easy. He made it too easy, actually. There was no way Lucy could stay angry at him, and she couldn't do anything about that. He was just like that. Staying mad at someone like him was impossible for someone like her.

That fact would only be reinforced later that night.

…

As Lucy slipped into her dress and set her curler on the counter of her bathroom to heat up, she glanced at the clock. She still had a good twenty minutes, give or take a few, till she was expecting Lisanna. Her father was currently also finishing getting ready downstairs and was going to call her down when her friend pulled up in their driveway. This way, there would be no need for Lucy to speak with her father before she was with someone else. Hopefully, he would keep his mouth shut in the presence of her friends.

Nerves bundled in tight knots in the pits of her stomach as she noticed the light on her curler had turned a bright shade of green, indicating that it was fully heated and ready to be used. With shaking hands, she reached for it and began weaving her long golden locks through the barrel. Cursing herself when she realized she forgot to spray heat resistant beforehand, she quickly set the instrument down and applied the aerosol to her hair and then resumed the task of curling.

She was nervous. That much was obvious. With only ten minutes remaining, she hastily finished curling her hair and set the iron down, fluffing it out before letting her comb run through the smooth textured locks. Quickly touching up her makeup, she nodded to herself in the mirror of the bathroom and exited, her long dress flowing out from behind her.

With a deep breath, she stood in front of the door to her room and waited for her father's call to her, indicating he was ready for her to come downstairs. She had been trained into doing this ever since she was a child. She would stand patiently and wait for Jude's beckon, and then make her way downstairs in the poised, gentle manner she was always taught to pursue. Sometimes she would have to wait for hours on end, since he often completely forgot that she was waiting for him.

She hoped that wouldn't be the case tonight, and sure enough, the moment the thought crossed her mind, she heard the deep voice of Jude Heartfilia ring out from the thickened walls of her bedroom.

"Lucy, come downstairs!"

Lifting her head, her fingers reached out to the hem of her dress, lifting it up so she could better walk. Without even realizing it, she began descending down the stairs of the second floor of the mansion like she always used to in their old house before a ball or formal event. She was acting the way she used to, like a princess, all because of the stupid dress she was wearing. This dress made her feel highly uncomfortable, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it.

When this concert was over, Lucy was going to burn this dress. She didn't care how great it looked on her, and how great it looked on its own. She was going to throw it into the ashes and send it to hell so she wouldn't have to think about it ever again. There would be no regrets, no nothing. She was going to do it, no matter the cost.

She noticed her father looking at her when she walked up to him. He was standing at the door wearing a polished tuxedo and his hair was set in place for a night out. Lucy almost respected him for the fact that he at least tried hard to impress. Not that it mattered, though, because he wasn't looking as if he was about to compliment her on how she looked or anything. Lucy knew that was definitely not going to be happening, no matter how much she wished for it.

Lucy could tell, though, that Jude approved of how she looked. There was an air of importance surrounding them both and she knew he liked it. He loved feeling superior to all, even his own daughter. Lucy knew she couldn't expect anything less.

"Shall we go?" Jude asked, gesturing out into the night. Lucy glanced outside to see Mira's car in their driveway. Lucy nodded.

"Yeah," she said, interlacing her elbow into his bent one and walking out besides him.

She _hated_ this. Her stomach was clamped and tears stung her eyes. It reminded her too much of her life before she moved to Magnolia. Oh how much she wanted to just die in this moment.

When they got themselves seated in the car, Mira and Lisanna both looked back and smiled at the sight of the two of them.

"You look amazing, Lucy!" Mira gushed as she pulled out of the driveway and began their journey to the concert hall; Lisanna nodded in complete agreement.

Lucy could only wish she _felt_ amazing.

Then, Lisanna turned to her father.

"Hello, Mister Heartfilia. I'm Lisanna Strauss, and this is my sister, Mirajane. It's good to meet you," she said in a polite tone.

Jude nodded, but Lucy knew it was only because he had to.

"Thank you for inviting Lucy and I to the concert," was his only reply.

Lucy sighed, knowing she should at least be thankful he even responded. Lisanna and Mira exchanged a look, and Lucy wanted to shrivel down out of embarrassment.

"The others are carpooling and they'll meet us there," Mira said, aiming her speech at Lucy. Lucy nodded, grateful for idle conversation. "Have you talked to Natsu at all yet or no?"

"At school today, but other than that, no, I haven't," Lucy replied.

"You don't have his number?"

"No," Lucy shook her head. Through the rearview mirror, Lucy could see Mira frowning.

"Oh," she said, "I could give it to you if you'd like. You'll probably need it since you hang out with us anyway."

Lucy shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."

Mira nodded. "Okay, It's-"

"Mira-nee! I see them!" Lisanna suddenly squealed, pointing to a large group gathered in front of the large building. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized they had arrived, meaning that the place where the concert was being held wasn't very far from her own house.

When they exited the car, Jude turned to Lucy.

"This Natsu boy we're seeing today is the reason you were crying last week, right?" he asked, blocking her view of the rest of her friends.

Lucy inaudibly gasped when she heard those words.

"How did you…"

"Partly the reason I'm here today is because I want to size him up for myself," Jude continued, crossing his arms underneath his chest.

Lucy gulped, not liking the way he said that last phrase. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said quickly, before pushing away from him and making her way to the rest of her friends.

There were a few family members present. Lucy noticed a tall, bulky man that held remarkably similar features to Gray, Lyon from her English class, an older petite bluenette standing next to Levy, Elfman, and everyone else from their group. Levy walked up to Lucy and introduced her to her mother, Lainey McGarden, and Gray confirmed her suspicions of the other man being his father, Silver. Lucy giggled at the sight of Lyon fawning over Juvia and the way she brushed him aside to talk to her boyfriend.

Jude stood quietly behind her, watching her interact with her friends.

"We should probably head inside if we want good seats," Jellal said, getting their attention. Everyone murmured in agreement and they all dispersed inside the huge building.

If Lucy was unsure about this event being a big deal, she was sure of it now. Looking at the large hall from the inside was like a breath of fresh air to her lungs, and her eyes widened at the beautiful markings and large palace-like walls surrounding the building.

After a glance at her father, Lucy could tell he was impressed as well.

They all entered the auditorium, and managed to snag seats close to the front. Lucy slipped into the seat in between Gray and her father, and got into a comfortable position.

Gray turned to her and offered her a small smile. "You look great," he said.

Lucy grinned. "You too."

"I'm glad you decided to come," he continued.

Lucy smiled in return. "Yeah, I am too. It took a _lot_ of people to convince me to come."

Gray nodded. "How are things between you and Natsu?" he asked.

"I think we're okay now," Lucy replied. "I talked to him this morning and he told me to go to this concert. It made me feel a lot better about coming."

Gray chuckled. "Good. That's good."

As everyone continued to chat idly, Lucy couldn't help but wonder how this concert was going to work. More and more people piled in, wearing just as fancy attire as her group was, and for once, Lucy was kind of glad she was nicely overdressed. She knew she didn't have to worry about that sort of thing as she did shop with her friends, but she would be lying if she said the thought of looking to fancy didn't overtake her mind a few times.

"Gray, was it?"

Lucy's eyes widened before snapping over to her father who had surprisingly just spoken up. Jude was looking directly at Gray, causing him to wither back ever so slightly.

Gray cleared his throat before answering. "Yes?"

"What is your familial background, Gray? What do your parents do for a living?" Jude asked, causing Lucy to gasp out loud.

Her eyes flitted between her father's serious look and Gray's taken aback one. She hastily went to form an apology.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry about him, Gray-"

"No, I want him to answer me, Lucy. Don't step into a conversation that isn't yours," Jude cut in smoothly.

Lucy gulped, meekly nodding.

"My… my mother died a while back and my father owns an ice sculpting company, _Fullbuster Ice_. We make custom goodies for high class events and such."

Jude surprised Lucy once again by nodding.

"Yes, I've heard of you. It's a highly successful company. I offer my congratulations," he said.

Gray visibly gulped and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Heartfilia." That signaled the end of the short conversation, and by the end of it, Lucy's cheeks were burning.

She quietly whispered to Gray, "I'm really sorry about that."

Gray just shook his head. "That's alright. I understand."

The lights suddenly dimmed and Lucy was immediately drawn to the stage, where the curtains were drawn closed and a beautiful tall woman was walking onto the stage. Everyone went completely quiet, aching to hear what she was about to say.

"Hello," she started, speaking into her microphone, "my name is Dovei, and I am the conductor of Major's Establishment." She stopped talking to allow the applause that came right after. "I'd like to personally welcome you to this event, and I hope you'll enjoy what these talented young individuals have to offer as part of their musical lives. To start us off, I'd like to welcome our first act. He got the first chair after a breathtaking audition on his flute and has happily agreed to play a solo for us. Please enjoy!"

Lucy clapped along with everyone else, waiting anxiously to see who got the first chair as the flute. She barely noticed Gray's eyes snap towards her and his breath hitch.

"Please welcome," Dovei started again, " _Natsu Dragneel_!"

Lucy stiffened, ignoring the deafening applause that erupted throughout the audience as the curtains opened to the familiar pinkette, standing in the middle of the stage looking out into the sea of people he was about to perform for.

Lucy's mind was racing when his eyes locked with hers.

And sure enough, he was holding a flute.

She couldn't look away as he mouthed two simple words to her. They were so ludicrous to everyone else that they went unnoticed, but not to her.

For the two words he mouthed were ' _Pretty Stranger'_.


	13. Chapter 13

His onyx eyes bore into her deep chocolate brown ones as her mind raced and her heart ached. Without realizing it, Natsu just stood there for a little longer than needed, just staring at Lucy while she stared back at him with just as much intensity. Lucy tried to look away, but found it nearly impossible as Natsu refused to let her.

When he finally seemed to snap out of his thoughts, whatever they were, he raised his instrument up to his lips and closed his eyes. Lucy's gaze traveled sideways to the beautiful silver flute Natsu was grasping tightly while his lips settled into a comfortable playing position. Her eyes widened when he finally did start playing.

It was a sweet sound, not at all like she would have expected. To be honest, Lucy was expecting more of a rough sound. Something that she would never get out of her mind no matter the cost. When hearing his music, she realized that she was right. She would _never_ get this out of her mind, no matter how much she tried to. It was, in one word, breathtaking. Lucy knew she wasn't some music expert and she definitely didn't have any room to talk when it came to this sort of thing, but she couldn't help but feel some kind of longing towards the beautiful, sleek resonating instrument that her friend was playing right now. He mixed in different patterns, sequences, and it was an overall amazing job well done.

Oh right. _Natsu was playing a flute_.

The thought didn't seem to fully occur to her till she finally took a good look at the silver object. It was truly an elegant piece of work. Was this some kind of joke? Lucy was sure he had auditioned for this event on his clarinet, not a flute. Did Natsu play two different instruments? A flute _and_ a clarinet? Was that was what was going on?

No. However amazing he was, there was a low probability that he was fluently able to play two instruments at an absolute mastery level, like he was doing now. But that couldn't be it. Natsu played the clarinet, not the flute. It was what he had told her. Why would he lie?

Besides, the only other person she knew who played the flute was- no.

 _No._

No no no.

There was no way.

No way.

As quickly as she could, she whipped out her phone, ignoring the groans and pleas from around her. She went into her messaging app, scrolling through the ample amount of texts she had gotten from the one boy she wished Natsu wasn't.

 _Stranger: Heya! What's up?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Who is this?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Stranger, is this you?_

 _Stranger: Aye! Heyy I made ya text in class! That's an accomplishment._

 _Stranger: I'm glad you gave me your number._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I've been listening to my father's old classical tapes. Is it wrong to say that I've completely fallen in love with his favorite musician?_

 _Stranger: Classical music? Haha I know a few things. I knowww right it's so addicting!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Well, you are a flutist for a reason, so I don't doubt it. My father has all these tapes from a flutist and I absolutely love them!_

 _Stranger: Speaking of your old man, everything's cool with him, right?_

 _Stranger: Good night, Pretty Stranger. Hope your night went better than mine._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I'm so done with my dad. Too many fights. Too little opportunities. Can't I just catch a freaking break for once?! Have another marriage interview tomorrow. Got any more of your godly advice?_

 _Stranger: Sorry ta hear that. Just don't think much on it today. Got any plans?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Shopping with my friends. Good advice. I think I'll take it._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Remember that marriage interview I told you about yesterday? I just got back from it._

 _Stranger: Go on._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Stranger, I don't think my father's going to hold out for much longer. He wants me to find a husband. Pronto._

 _Stranger: Hey, it's alright. Have you tried to talk to him?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Only one too many times._

 _Stranger: Listen, I honestly don't know what to say, but maybe you can hold out for a little longer before ya think of something?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Dammit, Stranger, I need someone to hug me and let me cry on their shoulder._

 _Stranger: Could I be that someone?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I wish you could._

 _Stranger: Someday, I will be that someone._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I know you will._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I've just been hurt. Not from my father. In fact, this hurts more than any amount he could ever cause._

 _Stranger: I'm sorry._

 _Stranger: Sorry._

 _Stranger: I'm really sorry._

 _Stranger: I'm sorry, Pretty Stranger._

 _Stranger: Are you okay?_

 _Stranger: Sorry about everything._

 _Stranger: I'm sorry about your old man._

 _Stranger: You alright?_

Lucy shut her eyes tightly, finally clicking her phone closed when Jude elbowed her roughly in her right ribcage. When the crowd roared into thunderous applause after Natsu held out his final note, Lucy snapped. She quickly got up out of her seat, not bothering to address Gray's calls to her, and quickly made a break for it.

She ran out of the auditorium as fast as her legs could go, not daring to look back, and not hearing Natsu's yells for her to stop. She ran into the hallway of the large building, running mindlessly till she found a random practice room in a lone corridor where she was sure no one would find her.

Closing the door behind her, she sank to her knees and held her head in her hands. Her eyes shut tightly as she took the moment to think.

It was _Natsu_ who replied to her aimless venting that day. It was _Natsu_ who gave her advice on what to do about her father. It was _Natsu_ who reassured her that everything was going to be okay. It was _Natsu_ who asked for her number. It was _Natsu_ who had that horrible night he told her about. It was _Natsu_ who got her enough confidence to talk back to her father. It was _Natsu_ who told her to go to his concert after hurting her. It was _Natsu_ who she ranted to about her favorite flutist. It was _Natsu_ who lied to her about playing clarinet. _Natsu_ was a flute player. _Natsu. Natsu. Natsu._

 _Stranger_ was Lisanna's childhood friend. _Stranger_ was the one who had amazing taste in smoothies. _Stranger_ was Gray's frenemy. _Stranger_ was the one who she went shopping for Juvia with. _Stranger_ was the one she had that stupid pun war with. _Stranger_ was the one who got into Major's Establishment. _Stranger_ had lied to her about playing clarinet. _Stranger_ was the one who cornered her at the mall and told her not to come to his concert. _Stranger_ apologized for hurting her. _Stranger_ was just up there, playing his flute and shining like a star.

Natsu was Stranger.

Stranger was Natsu.

They were the same person. They weren't two different people. They were the _same person_. Lucy hadn't been talking to two people. She had been talking to one person. Natsu Dragneel.

This entire time, she'd only been talking to Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy bit her lip hard and leaned back on the cool, hard wall of the practice room. Her eyes slid to a close as she recalled the events of the past month.

But there was something wrong. Why did Natsu mouth ' _Pretty Stranger'_ up when he was on stage? How did he already seem to know what was wrong after he hurt her? Why was he so adamant on making her go to the concert?

Of course. It was because he already knew she was Pretty Stranger.

The door to the room suddenly opened wide, causing her head to snap up in surprise. A single tear managed to escape her lids and slid down her clammy cheek. She gasped upon seeing who it was.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled, flailing his arms around and sighing in relief once he noticed her sprawled on the floor. "I've been looking everywhere for ya'!"

Lucy stiffened upon seeing him standing in the doorway. His hair was slightly messed up and he was panting heavily, indicating that what he said was in fact the truth. His cheeks were red and his lips were parted. His hand clenched onto the doorknob as he stared down at her. The two stayed like that for a few moments, before Lucy finally pulled herself off of the floor and stood across from him. Her eyes were narrowed and her heart was racing in her chest.

She needed to know.

"Y-you knew, didn't you?" she managed to squeak out. Her breath became suddenly uneven as she anxiously waited for a response. Her eyes bore heavily into Natsu's. She waited impatiently. "You knew who I was, didn't you?!"

Natsu visibly gulped, but Lucy didn't back down. She was seething and seeing red as she spoke to him. Her anger flared out all in one, and her heart never slowed down.

"You knew who I was! You knew that I was Pretty Stranger and you just decided to keep it from me like you did." She stopped to clap her hands together slowly. "Well congratulations, Natsu, you done good. You done real good. You hurt me once, you hurt me twice. You must feel just amazing right about now."

Lucy kept rambling on and on, not bothering to wait for a response from him. How _dare_ he keep something like this from her? Was this some kind of freaking joke? Did he really just want to mock her and make a fool out of her?

This _idiot_ was going to pay.

"Why aren't you answering? Cat got your tongue, huh? Well, if that's the case, then let me be more articulate. _You made a fool out of me tonight._ You hurt me, bashed me, and made me feel like a piece of complete and utter garbage. Why don't we switch it up, huh? Imagine this, Natsu. Imagine that I found out that you were Stranger. I found out that _you_ were the one with father problems and _you_ were the one who cried herself to sleep almost every single night. Imagine that I didn't tell you that I knew. Imagine that I kept it hidden from you and lead you on, making you believe that Pretty Stranger and I were two different people. Imagine that I then hurt you mentally and emotionally, and then I pulled a stupid stunt in front of thousands of people and hurt me even more. Are you getting all of this, Natsu? You're being awfully quiet-"

"Do you think I _wanted_ to?" Natsu suddenly asked, cutting through her icy voice. Lucy, stunned, looked quickly up to his red face. His eyes narrowed upon meeting eye-contact with her once again. "Do you think I wanted to keep something like this from you? I thought you knew me better than this."

"Well what other reasons could you have?" Lucy replied, seeing red. "I don't understand why you would do this to me! Obviously you know that I already have trust issues, so why exemplify that fact further?"

"I thought things would change between us if you knew!" Natsu bellowed, stepping closer to her. "I thought you might treat me differently if you knew that I knew all your familial secrets and stuff! Lucy, you have to think about it from my point of view!"

"Yeah?" Lucy asked. "And what else? Want me to think about this in any _other_ way of yours?"

"I never said anything like that!" Natsu replied, his voice becoming more and more strained. "Lucy, listen to me. I thought our relationship might change if we knew about each other."

"How would our relationship change? Relationships don't just change overnight like that, Natsu. You of all people should know that."

Natsu stepped back slightly, still maintaining perfect eye-contact with her. "You have no idea, Luce… Sometimes, relationships _can_ change like that, in a wink, overnight. And yes, I of all people should know something like that, but not for the reason you think."

That shut Lucy up right away. Her mouth zipped to a close and she stared at him silently as if judging him from all sorts of angles. Natsu looked back at her with just as much intensity and didn't say anything more for a few more moments.

"To be honest, I dunno how I even figured out that you were Pretty Stranger," he said quietly. "It just kinda happened, and when it did, I didn't know what to do. So I kept quiet about it, and only told Gray because he seemed mighty interested for some weird reason. I thought that if you knew, you might not want to be my friend anymore and that you might be really mad at me."

"Well you got that part right," Lucy said pointedly.

Natsu shrugged. "Yeah, I get that. I know you're mad at me, and I didn't want to make it hurt even more so I decided to tell you tonight. I had to make you come to this concert because I needed the perfect way of telling you, Luce. When Dovei told me I should do a solo part at the beginning of the show, I knew it was a great opportunity. Ya' know?"

"I really don't, but okay."

"So I kinda just went with the idea of not directly telling you, and rather showing you, and well, here we are now," Natsu said, sticking his hands in his pockets and raising his eyebrows in a way that Lucy could only see as hope.

"You really mean it?" Lucy asked, shaking her head softly. "Why the heck is it so hard for me to stay mad at you?"

Natsu goofily grinned. "Maybe it's because I'm just that much of a charming individual."

"Yeah that's definitely not it."

The two stared at each other for another few seconds, before they broke into a fit of tiny, melodious giggles. Lucy sighed and stepped forwards till they were just a nose apart.

"Remember that time when I told you I needed someone to hug me and let me cry on their shoulder?" she asked, feeling the build-up of tears in the back of her eyes. Natsu gulped and nodded. "And remember how you said you wanted to be that someone, and I told you that you would be one day?"

"Yeah," Natsu squeezed out.

"Can you do it right now?" Lucy asked, holding out her arms as an open invitation. Natsu stared at her, before laughing and nodding, gently pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her small waist.

Lucy sniffled into the crook of his neck, putting her hands securely around his neck and leaning closer into his touch.

Then, she burst.

Finally, she was able to cry freely into the arms of another. She had never been able to do something like this since her mother died. Her mother had always been the one who hold her close, rub her back, and whisper soothing words into her ear. Her mother had always embraced her tightly whenever she was feeling down about something and she was always there to comfort her in a way only a mother could.

But now, it was different. Natsu's touch was definitely nothing like her mother's, though it held a flavor somewhat similar to it. Natsu's hugs were warm and bright and merry, but also held an underlying feeling of dread and sorrow. Lucy's salty tears ran down her cheeks and onto Natsu's formal white shirt, and she had no doubt that her new dress was getting crumpled and wet, but she didn't care really. Something about being in Natsu's arms made everything seem alright.

He let her cry all she wanted, and she felt grateful for that. She wept and wept and wept, but he never once let go of her. He continuously rubbed slow circles on her back, whispering sweet words into her ears and letting her know that she was going to be okay, and for the first time, she believed him.

Ever since she lost her mother and gained the minimal attention of her overbearing father, she felt lonely and isolated from the rest of the world. But now it was different.

Now she had a new person to be open with. Now there was a new person who could give her amazing hugs and reassure her out of her plentiful doubts.

And that person was her Stranger, Natsu.

"My my, I did not know you got yourself a girlfriend, Natsu. Why did you not inform me of this during our texts last night?"

Lucy felt Natsu stiffen in her arms before he quickly let go of her. The two of them quickly wiped away their tears, though mostly Lucy, and turned to see a tall boy with dark hair and a monotonous expression staring at them from the doorway.

Lucy turned to see Natsu's eyes widen and his fists clench in excitement. She watched in amusement as he leapt over to the boy and tightly clenched himself into his embrace.

"Zeref!" Natsu yelled, letting go of him and looking up at the man with tears in his eyes. The other person, who was apparently named Zeref, stared down at Natsu with a similar expression.

"N-Natsu…" he whispered, his hands raising to cup Natsu's cheeks. "I missed you…"

"I missed ya' too, Zeref!"

As the two went in for another hug, Lucy felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a very… _short_ blonde woman standing behind her, also looking at Natsu and Zeref. She grinned up at Lucy.

"Hi there! My name's Mavis! I'm Zeref's fiancé!" she exclaimed, offering a friendly wave.

Lucy blinked. "Uh…"

"Oh! Sorry! That over there is Zeref, Natsu's older brother," Mavis continued. Lucy spun back around to see Zeref and Natsu talking about something in hushed voices. "So… you're Natsu's girlfriend?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "What?! No! No I'm not!" she said, before sighing and running her fingers through her hair. "I'm Lucy. Natsu's friend."

Mavis shrugged, not at all phased by this. "It's nice to meet you, Lucy, Natsu's friend!" she exclaimed, smiling again.

Lucy raised a tentative eyebrow, but decided not to question her strange behavior.

It was then when she heard it.

Coughs. _Loud ones_. Lucy gasped, turning once again to see Natsu on the floor, coughing his lungs out with tears streaming down his cheeks and Zeref yelling things at him.

"You overexerted yourself, did you not?! You did not do your breathing exercises, did you? You did not take the pills this morning! What did you do?! Natsu!"

Lucy stood stone still as Mavis rushed over to Zeref and Natsu and quickly helped him up. Mavis looked back at Lucy once and awkwardly smiled.

"It was good to meet you, Lucy, Natsu's friend! I hope I'll get to see you later too!" she exclaimed, before she disappeared out of the room with her fiancé and Natsu.

Lucy just stood there, shell-shocked.

What had just happened?!

* * *

 **Hi!**

 **The Natsu/Zeref reunion will obviously be further elaborated in the coming chapters, but I decided to keep it pretty vague in this one because the main focus of this chapter was of course the Natsu/Lucy drama.**

 **Also thanks for 300! ^_^**

 **I've been doing a couple sneak peeks for this story over on my tumblr (same user) if you didn't know~ so if you're interested in that feel free to go check them out!**

 **AND THIS CONCLUDES THE END OF ARC 1!**

 **Next chapter will begin Arc 2: His Problems.**

 **You guessed it! We'll finally be learning more about Natsu's disease and his overall background! Sooo look forward to that!**

 **See you all through the screen! I hope you liked this chapter! ;)**


	14. Arc 2: His Problems

**Are y'all ready to start this second arc? I sure am!**

 **It's been really fun reading all your theories about Natsu in the reviews and PMs, but this chapter will hopefully clear everything up. A huge chunk of it is just backstory on Natsu, so I hope that all your questions will be answered through this chapter!**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 _To: Natsu Dragneel_

 _From: Major's Establishment Staff_

 _Subject: WARNING + Congratulations!_

 _Dear Mr. Dragneel;_

 _Congratulations on a solid performance as the opening act to our event! The crowd seemed to enjoy it and we're glad you were able to get this opportunity to exemplify your success as a young musician._

 _We were, however, quite displeased with your unprofessional exit fashion. We understand that you may be going through some tough times with your girlfriend, but there was no need to bring it into your performance. It is your duty to keep your personal life away from your musical one. Provided that you really are serious for the level of commitment it takes to become a licensed musician like we're sure you yearn to become one day, we strongly advise you to rethink your actions regarding your unacceptable behavior._

 _If we recall correctly, you ran off of the stage in a quite dangerous manner in regards to the audience members surrounding you, and then exited the auditorium via the back entrance. You did not stop to apologize once to anyone you may have tripped over, and instead chased after your sweetheart. We don't recall knowing any solid backstory in that sense, but please know that what you did made us rethink our decision of letting you into our event as first chair._

 _As you were the opening act, plus the best flutist in our group, we decided to let it slide this one time and marked it as a warning. Please note that if anything like this happens in the future, we will have to take more extreme measures in making sure you truly learn your lesson._

 _Thank you, and sincerely,_

 _Major's Establishment Staff and Volunteers_

Natsu groaned, shutting his laptop close and spinning around in his desk chair. Well, it wasn't like he could do anything about this. It was his fault, after all, that he ran after Lucy when he knew he shouldn't have. She was just looking so hurt that he had no other choice.

And now that fact was coming back to bite him in the behind. Natsu was at least grateful that all he received was a warning.

But honestly, they called Lucy his… _girlfriend_.

"You look despondent," a voice cut through his thoughts. Natsu glanced behind him to see his brother standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Natsu grinned, before shrugging and turning back around, opening his laptop. Zeref walked over, leaning down over Natsu's shoulder to peek at the screen. "Oh."

Natsu nodded. "Yup, got off with a warning though, so that's cool," he said.

"But?" Zeref asked, prompting Natsu to keep going.

"But they called Lucy my girlfriend," Natsu admitted, "and since she isn't my girlfriend, that makes things weird."

Zeref blinked. "Wait a minute, are you talking about that blonde girl you were hugging yesterday?" he asked. "That was not your girlfriend?"

Natsu quirked an eyebrow. "No, she's not my girlfriend," he said. "Why'd you think she was?"

"You were hugging her," Zeref said pointedly.

"Yeah, and?"

"Hugging is something Mavis and I do, and we are in a romantic relationship," Zeref continued, not at all phased by what he was saying.

Natsu grimaced. "Again, too much information. And oi! Friends can hug too!" he said, pouting and crossing his arms underneath his chest. "Luce's just a friend."

"Luce? Mavis told me her name was Lucy. Do you not even know this girl's name? Why were you hugging her if you did not know something like that about her?"

"I know her name's Lucy! I just call her Luce!" Natsu quickly said. "Don't you have any nicknames for Mavis or somethin'?"

"You are comparing your relationship with Lucy to my relationship with Mavis? That means you _are_ in a romantic relationship with her!"

"No! I'm not in any kind of romantic relationship with her! I just… we have some history together," Natsu said, "it's a long story."

Zeref shrugged. "I have got time," he said, sitting down on Natsu's bed and clasping his hands together. "Do you want to tell me now, or later? I have been meaning to make you take me on a tour of Magnolia. It is a beautiful town and it has grown so much since the last time I was here."

"Five years," Natsu breathed, spinning in his chair till he too was facing Zeref directly. He coughed awkwardly, realizing his mistake. "Uh… we can take a tour if ya' want. Right now?"

"Sure," Zeref nodded, content with this plan.

Natsu sighed, standing up out of his chair and putting his hands on his hips. "Let's go," he said, before breaking into a sprint and running out the door.

…

"This town really has changed quite a lot," Zeref commented, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning back to leisurely stroll through the bustling streets of Magnolia.

Natsu rolled his eyes, raising an eyebrow and eying Zeref's pitch black clothing. "You sure you don't wanna take that jacket off? It's the middle of summer," he said.

Zeref shrugged. "I am good," he replied. "Now tell me this long story you have with Lucy."

"Uh… okay. She has some family problems and accidentally wrote about stuff and shit down on her desk in English and since I have the class after her, we have the same desk and I replied to her. Then I was an idiot after I found out and hurt her, but then last night I made her find out and she got hurt again so I hugged her and then you walked in right when it was getting to the good part!"

Zeref blinked, swallowing all of this information with wide eyes. "So you _are_ in a romantic relationship with her!"

Natsu smacked his forehead. " _No_! You're missin' the point!"

"No, the point is most definitely the fact that you are in love with her," Zeref said in a matter-of-fact tone. He then broke into a chilling grin. "My little brother is growing up!"

"Gaahhh," Natsu groaned, looking away and frowning slightly. "I just… feel kinda bad for her, ya' know?"

Zeref hummed before nodding. "Yes, I understand," he said, "I was not the best person to Mavis when I first met her either. Though she was very understanding and helped me get past all the trauma from my past."

"T-trauma?" Natsu asked, looking up at his older brother, his frown deepening. "You mean… from the thing?"

Zeref sighed, and nodded. "It was not your fault, Natsu," he said slowly. "None of that was your fault. You do know that, right?"

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to go through all of that!" Natsu said, his voice raising with every passing second. Zeref noticed this, and quickly reached out, placing his hands on Natsu's shoulders and connecting their eyes into swift eye contact.

"We should not talk about this here," he stated, "is there any place where you know we'll have privacy?"

Natsu gulped. "Home?" he said.

Zeref shook his head. "Igneel is at home," he said shortly. "Any place in town that you know of or have come across?"

Natsu thought about it. There was definitely the school, but there might be teachers or students roaming around there. There were a few parks around Magnolia, but again, it was doubtful that they would be empty. Then, Natsu remembered that the football field was probably going to be empty this time around. Gajeel was on the school team, and from what he remembered, there wasn't a game today. Natsu nodded, content with his thoughts.

"Follow me," he said, gesturing for Zeref to follow him as they made their way to the high school. Natsu didn't look back once to Zeref one time during the short walk, as his mind was already racing elsewhere.

They were finally going to be talking about the incident that happened just after Natsu was born.

They were finally going to talking about what happened that day, over seventeen years ago.

.

 _Heat tickled the atmosphere as the flames licked the tall house standing in the middle of the lone town. It was the one time when the Dragneel family was ungrateful for the fact that there was no one within a ten mile radius of their house._

 _Mama and Papa Dragneel struggled underneath the ember flames, trying to reach for their sons who were cowering back in fear. The older, Zeref Dragneel, was three-years-old and was not at all prepared for something like this to happen. The younger, Natsu Dragneel, was only a year old and was crying in his baby carriage, clinging to his brother as Zeref watched his parents with wide, fearful eyes._

 _The heat from the fire felt unbearably hot to all four of them, but the parents' eyes were only on their children._

 _Mama Dragneel opened her mouth, ashes rushing past her lips and burns scorching themselves plain onto her skin. "Zeref, please take care of Natsu," she whispered, but it was loud enough for the older boy to hear._

 _Zeref gasped, accidentally coughing out flames and watching with despair as his parents got enveloped into the dark red and orange flames._

 _Tears sprung to his eyes, making him gasp again out of shock. He watched as a large piece of wood from their once beautiful house fell down onto the bodies of his parents, burying them deep within the remains of the home._

 _Burnt pieces of wood kept falling as Zeref scrambled to his feet, looking out and making out a small window which he would easily have been able to get through. But he had another problem, and that was Natsu._

 _Although Zeref by himself would be able to get out of the house using the window scott-free, he wouldn't be able to take Natsu, which was a problem. It was either escape by himself, or take Natsu with him and try and find another way out. Choosing the latter, Zeref quickly scooped Natsu into his arms, disregarding the baby carriage and running away from the now burnt bodies of their parents._

 _He would have to cry about them later. For now, he had to get both himself and his little brother out of the fire before something even worse happened to them. Zeref was not about to lose Natsu like he had just lost his mother and father. He would not let that happen, no matter what._

 _His eyes darted around, stinging from the heat and the flames enveloping their surroundings. He could faintly hear Natsu's low, bawling cries but chose to ignore them. They would just get him even more distracted, and Zeref's mind wasn't about to be set off track by something like that._

 _There was no other opening, Zeref realized, only the glass window in front of them. He looked back, not being able to see anything but red, orange, and yellow, and was forced to make an on-the-spot decision._

 _So, without a moment of hesitation, Zeref sprung in the direction of the window, jumping and kicking out his foot and breaking the glass. His feet crawled back in pain as multiple shards of glass stuck to his soles, but at that moment he couldn't have cared less. He glanced down to the bundle of cloth around his baby brother wrapped tightly in his arms as the two of them fell out of the tall building._

 _They landed with a thud, Zeref's back aching and Natsu still crying. Zeref looked back, tears now freely rolling down his cheeks, watching as his once loved home collapsed in the middle of the roaring flames from the fire._

 _Zeref finally let go of Natsu, bringing his shaking hands to his face and gripping himself, replaying the events of the day. First, his parents reaching out to him. Second, his parents getting pushed back and swallowed by the house fire. Third, breaking out of the house when he_ knew _he was going to get hurt, all to save his little baby brother._

 _He tried not to cry, but found it impossible. His parents were gone, his house was gone, all the money they had was gone, and now Zeref was completely and utterly doomed. There was_ nothing _he could do anymore._

 _But then, he remembered something. A family friend of the Dragneels whom he and his parents had visited before Natsu was born a few times. His name was… what was it? Zeref couldn't remember, but his three-year-old mind knew what he had to do._

 _So he and his little brother trudged out, set to find this person who Zeref had minimum memories of._

 _That lead them to Magnolia._

 _._

 _Natsu was a little over a year old when he started coughing._

 _Zeref had just come home from pre-school to find Igneel, the family friend, crouching next to some weird looking man wearing a white coat. Natsu was underneath them, wiggling about as different tubes and wires were around him._

 _The weird man wearing white sighed gravely, turning to Igneel with a frown._

" _It's Interstitial Lung Disease," he said, shaking his head. "Most likely from delayed effects of the house fire."_

" _It's been almost a month since then, though," Igneel had replied. "Are you sure?"_

" _Positive," the man, who Zeref recognized as a doctor, nodded. "He has to go on pills. A minor type of medical steroid. Nothing major. We can't give him stronger ones till he's old enough."_

" _How long is this going to last?" Igneel asked._

" _Either till he's very old or it'll be a lifelong thing," the doctor said. "This is a type of disease that simply cannot go away that easily."_

" _My poor baby…" Igneel whispered. "Doctor, is there anything that I can do?"_

" _Give him your undivided attention is all. Do you work?"_

" _I'm a professional musician. A flutist, actually. It does require a lot of my time. What should I do?"_

" _You have to either cut your work hours or work something that you can do from home. For the first few years of Natsu's life, it's impossible to keep your eyes off of him."_

" _Doctor… is he going to be okay?"_

" _He'll be fine if he gets the right treatment."_

" _Does this mean he's… he's going to-"_

" _I-Igneel…" Zeref finally whispered, tears falling out of his eyes and onto the floor of the house. Igneel looked over, his mouth opening slightly when he saw the young boy standing in the doorway. He gulped, holding out his arms for Zeref to run into._

" _Son, I told you to call me 'Dad', didn't I?" he said as Zeref hugged him tightly. Igneel swept his fingers through his hair and sighed, looking back to the doctor just as he was about to speak again._

" _No, he won't die. Not if he fights this, anyway. Make sure to follow all of my instructions, okay? He's just a baby, so his immune system was a lot weaker than Zeref's during the fire. That explains why Zeref didn't catch it. Zeref, what was Natsu doing during the incident?"_

 _Zeref gulped. "H-he was crying, sir."_

" _Yes, so the ashes and coal particles went straight down his throat," the doctor explained._

 _Igneel clenched his eyes tightly. "I'll retire. I'll do whatever needs to be done to make sure Natsu lives a healthy, happy life. I'll do anything for these boys."_

" _Ig- Dad…" Zeref whispered, looking up to the red-haired man with a hopeful glint in his eyes._

 _It was at these kinds of moments when Zeref was truly happy that he was able to find Igneel. He had already decided to go off when he was old enough and leave Natsu with Igneel, but for now, he was glad that he and his little brother had just a kind, strong man to support them through all of this._

 _Zeref reached his hand out, clamping it in Natsu's small ones and breathing deeply._

" _You alright, Zeref?" Igneel asked, rubbing his adoptive son's back gently to soothe the young boy. Zeref's bottom lip trembled, but he wasn't crying anymore. He didn't want to cry. It wouldn't do him any good._

 _Natsu would be suffering for the rest of his life, and there was nothing he could do about it._

 _._

 _Taking the pill was easy for Natsu. He woke up every morning, looked left, and saw a glass of water and a pill sitting by his bedside left there by Igneel. He took the pill, and went about his day like normal._

 _This went on till Natsu was around eleven years old, and Zeref was getting ready to go study abroad, in Crocus. Igneel started spending more time with him, helping him study for exams and things along those lines, and eventually, Igneel stopped keeping the pill by Natsu every morning and instead, Natsu just kept the pill bottle next to his bed._

 _This went fine for the most part, but some mornings when he was in too much of a rush, taking the pill completely slipped his mind and he had to suffer because of it till he could take it again._

 _They were short, dry coughs. They came in small spasms every hour or so when he didn't take the pill, or when the expiration date began to rear its ugly head. His coughing sessions lasted for usually around five minutes, and usually they were pretty painful. A headache would stay for a while after an extremely bad one._

 _If it wasn't coughs, it was a hard shortness of breath. Natsu sometimes had to struggle to breath in everyday situations, but he managed to the best of his abilities._

 _The extremity of the coughs varied, though, and Natsu was never_ really _sure how they would be the next day. He wished they would just stay put, though._

 _He also wished he remembered to take the pill more often._

 _In the summer of Natsu's twelfth birthday, Zeref got accepted into a medical boarding school in Crocus. He was majoring in the immune system, lungs, and diseases surrounding them, and Natsu had a pretty good idea as to why._

 _But for some reason, his relationship with Igneel began to falter after being apart for a while, and Natsu had his own reasons as to why. A budding realization had creeped up to him, which caused him to be more wary around his adoptive father._

 _But he went on, boy did he go on. He stayed the way he always had for his entire life, and his real parents were now just something that once was. Now he had Igneel, and he was really the only father-figure he ever remembered._

 _He would just have to keep going, no matter the cost._

 _It was the only thing he could do, after all._

.

Natsu winced when he and Zeref entered the field grounds just behind the high school. Zeref was walking next to Natsu by now, and he led them to the bleachers which were on the far end of the grassy meadow.

The two of them sat down on the lowest seat, Natsu playing with his hands and Zeref staring at the younger boy.

The two were thinking of the exact same thing: their entire life and how it had been up till now. Natsu gulped when he saw Zeref's mouth open, and then close again.

He took a deep breath.

They both needed this. They both needed to talk about everything. It had been five years since they had last seen each other, and they needed to let everything out to the other.

Natsu, about his disease, and Zeref, about his mental trauma.

He inhaled again.

He may not have been completely ready for this, but he knew it had to happen. He wasn't prepared to hear about Zeref's own version about the trauma and depressive things he had been going through for these past five years.

It was for the best.

* * *

 **We're entering this second arc with a bang!**

 **Okay, let me clear this up right now.**

 **When I say "Zeref's trauma and depression" I'd like to remind you that this is a _T_ rated story. *Minor spoilers for the next chapter* For the first part of the next chapter, I'll better explain what that means, but I'll tell you right now that while Zeref did deal with depression, I _will not_ be writing about it much. I know some readers can get triggered by that kind of thing, and to respect that, I won't be going much into Zeref's backstory.**

 **Nevertheless, I hope you did enjoy this chapter, and hopefully some of your questions have been answered! That saying, a lot of them will be remaining _unanswered_ till later chapters. **

**Sooo this was the opening to Arc 2! Please let me know what you thought!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the slightly longer wait! I've been preparing for NaLu week and my birthday's also coming up, so I'm busy busy busy!**

 **Please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The bleachers were beginning to rust over time. That much was plain as day. If one were to run their hands over the rippled, sharp edges, they would undoubtedly get speckles of small cuts on the pads of their fingertips. Cuts that were minute, while still remaining painful, and deadly.

Nevertheless, sports event counselors still chose to use them, as replacing them would make the school's wallet sing in despair. It wasn't a very big wallet, mind you, Fairy Tail High was never very good at keeping their budgets intact and within the limits of which they could uphold.

Anyone was allowed on the bleachers at any time of day. They had gotten so old, that the school didn't even care anymore if the public were to sit down and have a quaint little lunch on them. No one did this, though. Everyone knew how the football team would pounce if mere distractions like they interrupted their practice time. As Magnolia was a smaller town, everyone knew everyone, and everyone knew the bigger sports teams at the schools. Games were common for them, after all. Many people from around town were more than happy to attend, sit on the bleachers, support the school, and go home with cuts on their behinds.

Natsu, however, was used to the little pin-like feeling on his bottom as he, Gray, and Jellal had gone to Gajeel's games on more than one occasion. In return, they would all go for Gray's ice hockey matches, Natsu's flute concerts, and Jellal's science olympiad competitions. The girls had often joined in on the festivities as well, though Natsu didn't really mind.

His gaze slowly returned to the taller, black haired man sitting in front of him, wistfully looking out into the field. Zeref had a small smile painted on his features, and it was one of the few times Natsu had actually seen his older brother smile so easily. Throughout their lives together, Zeref had seldom smiled, so seeing him like this right now was refreshing, and felt extremely good.

"You know, Natsu, I still do not understand why you blame yourself for the fire," he suddenly spoke, putting his hands behind him and leaning against them. "None of that was your fault, but you still seem like you blame yourself for it. I want to know why."

Natsu gulped, a threatening chill running down the core of his spine. "You know why…" he said softly.

Zeref simply shook his head. "No. No I do not."

Natsu sighed, memories involuntarily shaking him up and clouding his mind. His head was spinning furiously and everything around him was beginning to faze.

It may not have seemed like it, but the fire had affected Natsu on a mental level as well, though definitely not as much as Zeref. Zeref was… well, he was a different story entirely.

"Well I mean… it's just that, like, um, well like," Natsu was stuttering, unable to form words for he was completely clueless as to what to say. Should he just spill the truth? Should he hold back on it and let Zeref play around with it till he figures it out himself? "I was useless."

Natsu's eyes widened at what he had just said. Zeref seemed to notice it too, as he was also looking at the younger boy in shock.

"Really?" Zeref asked, incredulous. " _That_ is why you have been so strange about it?"

Gulping frantically, Natsu nodded. "I… I guess."

"I see," Zeref nodded, "care to elaborate further?"

"Elaborate?" Natsu said, furrowing his eyebrows. "But I just told you everything! What's there to elaborate on?"

"Well for starters, you could tell me _why_ you felt like you were useless. You were not useless, Natsu. I do not understand why you would think of something like that."

"You had to save me!" Natsu said, standing up from his seat on the bleachers. "If I could do something about it, like walk, or scream, or _something other than crying my eyes out_ , I could have helped you get outta there and maybe I could'a even helped Mom and Dad! Maybe they wouldn't have died if I could'a done something about it!"

Zeref looked completely taken aback as Natsu continued to spill. His eyes were wide on his face and his hands lay flat on the creases of his dark clothing. Natsu's eyes were red and his eyebrows were perfectly slanted in anger. His hair was wildly spewing all over the place and his hands were clenched into hard, round fists.

"No, you could not have done anything because you were barely a year old," Zeref interjected, catching Natsu by surprise. "There was nothing you could have done, so stop saying things like this."

"I totally could have done something!" Natsu argued heatedly.

Zeref lifted a doubtful eyebrow. "What could you have done?"

Natsu faltered for a slight moment, before quickly recovering with a simple, "I could'a gotten up outta that silly carriage and walked to the exit myself!"

"No, you could not have done that," Zeref retorted instantly. "As I said before, you were too young to do anything."

"Y-you were…" Natsu stopped for a bit once he realized what was happening to him. _Tears_. Tears were rolling down his cheeks because of this stupid conversation. It had been _years_ since Natsu had properly cried like this. Even when Lucy found out that he was Stranger, he only shed a few stray tears, and that was mostly because of how tightly Lucy was holding him. "... you were three! Three-freaking-years-old! You can't s-say that I was too young when you y-yourself were just three!"

Zeref crossed his arms and gave his little brother a stern look. "Natsu, you know my brain developed a little earlier than it was supposed to, so I was able to think things through to a level normal three-years-old could not have."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that you were still three!" Natsu yelled, throwing his arms into the air and furrowing his tear-stained eyebrows. He went to wipe his eyes, only causing them to get more wet and his vision to get more misty. Zeref sighed, looking cautiously between himself and Natsu and holding his right arm down to make Natsu sit back down on the bleachers. Zeref then moved his arm down so his fingertips reached Natsu's eyes, swiping them underneath the lids a few times so his tears would disappear. Natsu sniffed silently at the effort, but the area where Zeref had just wiped didn't remain tearless for more than a few seconds.

"I was three-years-old, yes, but I was perfectly capable of getting both you and I out of the fire," Zeref said, his voice coming out in a low whisper. "You should be proud of yourself for not dying that day, brother. Do not blame yourself for something you cannot help."

Natsu, visibly shaking, slowly nodded, but even Zeref could tell he was just doing it to make him believe that he was okay, and that he had accepted Zeref's way of telling him not to blame himself. "Whatever," he muttered softly.

Zeref then realized there was barely any point in verbally telling Natsu to stop blaming himself, so he did the next best thing.

Zeref leaned in, and hugged his little brother.

Natsu immediately stiffened upon feeling his strong arms being enclosed tightly by his sides by Zeref's sudden embrace, but he wasted no time in sinking into the hug and leaning back into it.

Zeref's hug was strange. In Natsu's opinion, it was a lot like how Lucy felt, but there was something different about it that he couldn't quite place. It still held the same underlying warmth behind it, and Natsu was more than happy to be hugging the brother he loved so much, no matter if he said it often or not.

"Do not blame yourself, Natsu. Please," Zeref said in a forceful, strong voice that went straight through Natsu's ears and down to his heart.

Natsu gulped. "O-okay."

He could feel Zeref smiling now. "Good. Thank you."

"Mavis' lucky," Natsu said in a joking manner once they separated. Zeref laughed slightly.

"Why?" he asked.

"She gets to get those hugs all the time!"

"I can hug you again if you wa-"

"No thanks!"

Zeref chuckled again. "Lucy is pretty lucky too."

To this, Natsu raised a questioning eyebrow. "Why?" he asked swiftly.

Zeref wistfully grinned, looking out into the field.

"She has you."

…

 _Natsu Dragneel: You should come to my rehearsal tomorrow! Watch me play some more of my awesome flute. ;)_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Sure! What time? I'm free all day._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Then come at seven o'clock tomorrow morning and leave after having dinner there. There's a great cafeteria in the main lounge and their American burgers are top-notch. They're even imported straight from America!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Oh wonderful. More fatty food. Haha I'll be there._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Yosh! Come to the same place my concert was held in._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Sounds like a plan. See you there!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: See ya!_

"Stupid Natsu…" Lucy said mostly to herself, glancing at the string of text messages from the night before. She was busy running her hairbrush through her head of blonde locks and muttering curse words under her breath. "Doesn't he realize how long it takes me to get ready in the morning?! And he expects me there at seven! How rude!"

Continuing to verbally beat Natsu in her head, she quickly shimmied on a random top and jeans and quickly grabbed her purse, looking up to the wall clock hanging in her room. It read six-thirty, which gave her plenty of time to drive to the concert hall.

"How long are these stupid rehearsals anyway? Honestly…" Lucy complained, running her fingers down her outfit and nodding to herself in the mirror. She sighed. "Oh well. I'm just going to blame my alarm clock for making me late." She glanced over to the clock by her nightstand. "Oh don't look at me like that you stupid alarm clock! You're the one who has that annoying snooze button that always begs to be pushed!"

Clearly, Lucy was not a morning person.

Running down the stairs, she heaved a sigh of frustration when she saw her father was already awake and in the kitchen. Jude glanced up, only to look surprised to see his daughter rushing in and grabbing a piece of toast from the toaster, saying something under her breath about, "I wonder if they have breakfast there…"

"Lucy? What are you doing awake so early on a Sunday morning?" Jude asked, setting his coffee and newspaper down. Lucy faintly saw a very old article about Ig. Neel covering the front. She quickly recognized it as his retirement article, but thought nothing of it. "Are you going somewhere?"

"A fwiend inwited mwe to see his rehearwals," Lucy said, the toast inside her mouth. She spat it out slightly, grabbing it with her hands and screaming out a soft, "Hot!"

"A friend invited you where now?" Jude asked again, cocking his head forwards.

"Natsu asked me to go see his rehearsals today," she said quickly. "I already told him I would go, so don't tell me I can't now."

Jude raised his eyebrows. "I don't care if you go to some lousy rehearsals, but isn't Natsu the boy who also made you run out crying two night ago?"

"Well, yes, but that was just a misunderstanding," Lucy said, swallowing a particularly large hunk of buttery bread. "It's all cleared up now, though."

"I see," Jude said, noticing his daughter's look at her watch. "What time do you have to be there?"

"Seven," Lucy replied curtly.

"You don't want to be late?" he questioned.

"Of course not," Lucy said.

"Yes you should probably be going by now, then," Jude said, crossing his arms. "Honestly, Lucy, I've taught you better than to be late."

"Okay okay bye Father!" Lucy quickly said, grabbing her car keys and running out the door.

"Drive safe- she's already gone. I should have expected that."

And with that, Jude resumed munching on his toast.

…

Lucy frantically scrambled around the large building, trying to find the entrance to the auditorium, knowing very well she was already three minutes late.

"Lucy?" someone asked, making her whirl around. Lucy's eyes widened as she saw Natsu casually walk up to her with a shocked expression. "You actually came at seven? Seriously?"

Lucy frowned. "You told me to be here at seven," she said pointedly.

Natsu shrugged. "I thought you knew I was joking! Pffft I can't believe you're actually here this early! Thought for sure you were gonna be here at like one."

" _One_?!" Lucy screeched. "But you _told me_ to be here at seven! I got up at four o'clock for you!"

"Really? If I have to be somewhere at seven, I'll wake up at seven-thirty."

"Well that's because you're you! I take hours to get ready in the morning! I thought you knew that!"

"I did, and that's why I thought you'd be here later. Who comes to things _on time_?"

Lucy frustratedly yelped, groaning to herself and throwing her bag to Natsu. Surprisingly, he caught it, much to her disdain.

"Why are you here this early if you thought it was just a joke?" she demanded, snatching her bag back into her own grasp.

"Oh, I come here at seven every morning, and rehearse for an hour before school. On weekends I practically spend all day here, unless I've made other plans."

Lucy sighed, knowing she couldn't stay mad at the boy for too long. "Oh, right. Got it. You're awfully keen on playing the flute."

"It's 'cause I love it!"

"Then where do you get exercise from?" Lucy went on a run everyday, so she was curious as to how Natsu was so fit if he was inside all day.

Natsu appeared to laugh. "I've got some lucky genes. Luce, haven't ya' ever seen me shirtless?"

"Uh…"

"I swim a bit too," Natsu added as a quick afterthought.

Lucy blinked. "Swim? Really? You don't seem like the type."

Natsu shrugged. "The others had the same concern after I started getting a bit… podgy. So, in junior high, Juvia offered to recommend me for a membership at the swim club she went to. I guess I just decided to go for it."

"Ohh… so you and Juvia are swim buddies?" Lucy asked.

"Swim buddies… uh, yeah, I guess? Then Juvia and Gray started going out, and that, mind you, was thanks to me, and then they started going swimming together in their own lane while I was in another."

"Wait," Lucy stopped him, "them getting together was thanks to you? Why?"

"I was the one who urged Juvia to go for it," Natsu explained. "Sure, she was always a bit obsessed with him, but she never actually directly asked him out. So, while we were swimming one day, I talked to her about it, man to woman, and the next day, they started going out!"

Lucy looked at the boy in front of her for a full moment, before smiling widely. "That's… really sweet, actually. That was good of you, Natsu."

Natsu grinned. "Right? I gave myself _lots_ of pats on my back for that one." He winked at her, causing her to laugh.

"So," she started, "are you going to play some more of your awesome music for me?"

Natsu brightened upon hearing that. "You really think my music is awesome?"

"I wouldn't know for sure. The last time I heard it I was too busy rethinking my life," Lucy said in a deadpan voice. Natsu snorted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right, uh… sorry about that again," he said sheepishly. "We're cool, right?"

Lucy smiled, and pretended to think. "I dunno, are we?" she asked, stepping closer to him. "You might have to prove it to me by playing something for me."

"Done and done!" Natsu agreed, nodding. "Follow me!"

The two laughed again. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hands, enclosing their fingers together. He led her in the opposite direction of where she was walking to the auditorium, which made her blush out of embarrassment. He led her to the front row, seating her right in front of the lone chair and stand that only had a sheet of music and a familiar flute resting on it.

"Where's everyone else?" Lucy asked.

"They should be here in a couple minutes. Until then, I'll play ya' a little something!"

Lucy nodded, leaning back to settle into the comfortable seat, looking up onto the stage and into Natsu's eyes as he winked at her and picked up his flute. She watched as he rummaged through the sheets in front of him, before his eyes lit up and he lifted the silver instrument up to his lips.

When he began to play, it was like the entire world had stopped.

Lucy could faintly remember this same sound back when she first heard it in this exact same room. It was soft, while still resonating throughout the entire auditorium. It was melodious, while still having a sense of edginess and dread behind it.

It was, in one word, perfect.

That perfect feeling was soon torn apart as more people started filing into the room with instruments in hand, ready for a full band rehearsal. Natsu smiled sadly down at her and Lucy shrugged and nodded, giving him a thumbs-up to let him know that she liked his performance, however short it was.

"May I sit here?"

Lucy looked up to see a tall man with red hair and a kind smile standing in front of her, pointing to the chair next to her. She quickly shot a smile back to the man and nodded.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, giving him a polite wave as he sat down. He looked over to her and smiled again.

"Sorry, I just usually sit in the seat you're sitting in whenever I'm around here. Doesn't feel right not to sit somewhere completely different," he explained, causing Lucy's cheeks to redden.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said, beginning to get up. "I can move if you'd like-"

"No no no!" the man quickly said. "I'm sorry if you thought I was asking for you to move! That wasn't my intent at all!"

Lucy looked up to see Natsu giving her a curious look, but she decided to ignore it. She sat back down, nodding.

"Oh okay, thank you."

"I haven't seen you around here before," the man noted. "Are you new? Looking to enroll in one of the programs at the music school?"

Lucy quickly shook her head. "Oh, no! I'm no musician," she said. "Do you know Natsu?"

The man's eyes widened for a second, before he leaned back and nodded with a bright smile.

"Yes, I know him," he said, "he's a great flutist."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. He's one of my friends, and he invited me here today to watch him play a few songs and stuff."

"Do you go to school with him?" the man asked.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. We don't have any classes together, but we're in the same friend-group so we met through that."

"I see," the man said, looking thoughtful. "Are you a… good friend of his?"

Lucy stopped for a moment. "Uh… I'd say so, yes. We… we know a lot about each other, so yeah. I'd say we're pretty good friends, yes."

The man smiled again, and nodded. "That's good. I'm glad to know he has some friends that he's comfortable enough with inviting them to see him rehearse."

Lucy wanted to ask what he meant by that, but suddenly, the man quickly got up and waved to her.

"Well, it was nice meeting you…"

"Lucy," Lucy interjected.

"Lucy, yes. Hopefully I'll see you around more," the man continued.

Lucy nodded. "I hope so too."

And with that, he left.

Lucy's focus quickly went back to Natsu, who was looking at the man as he exited the auditorium. Lucy quirked an eyebrow at him when he looked back at her, but he just shook his head.

She sighed, knowing there was more to it all, and decided to leave it be.


	16. Chapter 16

**After 15 chapters of pure story, I thought we could use a small filler. So enjoy this bundle of fluff and be sure to tell me what you think! Keep in mind that there are a lot of important things that happen in this chapter, though!**

* * *

 _GuildMage_ was a highly popular, accessible social media platform that opened more than ten years ago. Ever since it rose on the popularity scale, more and more teenagers, adults, and even seniors began to use it more often.

It was a simple application that worked in a relatively easy fashion. Once someone created an account, they could personalize their page by adding colors, funky buttons, and customize how their followers and followings were to be shown. If one decided they wanted a sunset themed page, they could have it. If they wanted a theme of rainbows, they could have it. This feature attracted the younger crowd, as many teens and tweens liked the wide range of options the app provided when it came to color selections. Parents could rest at ease as there was a 'Private Account' feature, in which someone could make their account to be shown only to those they chose.

There were three ways in which someone could post. One, as a picture or an album of pictures, two, as a box of text, or three, as a status. One could say that the 'text' and 'status' options were very similar, but they each had their own way of doing things. If someone wanted to post a long daily story, or something that they wanted to share to their followers, they would use the 'text' option. If they wanted to select how they were feeling and then write a little blurb about what caused those feelings or give a small update on their life, they would use the 'status' option. The 'picture' option was self-explanatory. Someone could select a picture from their phone's camera roll, edit it using the wide variety of filters and highlights, add a caption if they wanted, and then post it. If their followers were to see the post while scrolling through their dashboard, (where followings' posts were displayed plus a few sponsors), they could choose to like the picture. Likes were a huge deal to any devoted member of the platform, especially to a teenager. Commenting was also another option.

There was also a feature where someone could snap a photo of themselves, add an on-screen caption, add a filter or sticker if they wanted, and then could send the picture privately to someone they were mutuals with.

One could also normal message to someone privately without being mutuals, although the message wouldn't show up as a regular notification if the person wasn't following them back.

Lucy had created her _GuildMage_ account back when she was thirteen, about four years ago, without her father knowing. Jude had, of course, found out when his daughter had accidentally followed his public account a few days later. Lucy's account was fairly simple, and had a blue and yellow theme. Her username was simple her first name followed by her last name, _LucyHeartfilia_ , much like all of her other friends. She had accumulated a little over a hundred followers, and her account was marked as private, meaning only people she approved could follow her and see her posts. Even though most of her friends had hundreds and sometimes even thousands of more followers than her, it didn't really matter. After all, it was just social media.

"You have a _GuildMage_?" someone said as she was scrolling through her feed while waiting for the performers to finish packing up on stage. Lucy darted around to see Natsu staring over her shoulder at her phone. She let out a small gasp of surprise, her eyes glancing over to the stage where he was just moments before.

"Natsu, you scared me!" she scolded, before turning back to her phone and nodding. "But yeah, I have a _GuildMage_."

"How come you never told me?" Natsu grinned, his sharp fang-like teeth showing proudly.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Maybe it's because social media isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I meet someone?" she said with a bit of a sassy tone. "Plus, I didn't know you had one."

"I do, and you should totally follow me," Natsu said, smirking. "Can I see your phone?"

With a reluctant nod, Lucy handed over her device and watched as Natsu went to the search bar on the top of her screen, typing something before handing her the phone back.

Lucy's eyes trailed to the screen, her vision instantly exploding with color as she took in the bright red and orange themed account titled _NatsuDragneel_. The page really did fit Natsu well. His bio was in a font that reminded her of flames, which fit Gray's weird names for him well. Her finger flew over to the 'follow' button, watching intently as it changed from blue to yellow, indicating that she had made the request.

In reality, she had already followed all of her other friends, but Natsu was the only exception. For what reason, she did not know.

Natsu's phone chimed, and he grinned as he took it out. Lucy kept her eyes on the screen, seeing as he had made seventy-three posts. She was eager to see what they were, watching in excitement as the yellow button changed to green, and Natsu's full account began visible to her.

"You have no posts!" Natsu said, catching her attention once again. Lucy's brows furrowed as she leaned up to look at Natsu's phone screen, seeing it currently on her account page.

"Yes I do! Don't you see that number in the corner?" she said, getting increasingly more annoyed. Natsu shrugged.

"Who only has six posts?" Natsu whined. "C'mon, Luce! How boring is your life?"

"Six posts is more than enough," Lucy said pointedly, closing her phone and deciding she would scroll through Natsu's account at a later time. It was true. She always felt extremely insecure about posting anything, even though she did get a good number of likes for them, considering her follower count.

The boy in question then grinned. "Then post today!" he said. "We should take an awesome picture together and you can post it to your account!"

"A _picture_?" Lucy said, incredulous. She hadn't plucked enough courage yet to post a picture. All of her posts were either text ones or status ones. "I haven't posted a picture yet…"

"Pfft, yeah, I noticed."

Lucy glared at him. "Hey!"

"How great would it be for your first picture post to be with the awesome me?" Natsu said, goofily pretending to flip his hair.

"How wonderful," Lucy said in a deadpan voice, but then she giggled. In all honestly, she was more than thrilled for her first real post to be one with her and Natsu. She didn't know why, but the thought of him getting the privilege of being the first person on her page sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"Okay! I'll give you a tour of the studio. Whenever we find a good spot, we'll take it. I'll probably just get someone nearby to do it for us." Natsu said. Lucy nodded, content with his plan.

"Sounds good," she agreed, and he smiled, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the auditorium.

"By the way," he started again once they were roaming through the hallway. "I saw you were talking to my-"

"Hey, Natsu!"

Lucy immediately recognized the older, more mature voice. Both she and Natsu turned to see the red haired man from before waving out to them and walking towards him. Lucy glanced at Natsu to see his eyes widen for a moment.

"What are ya' doing here?" Natsu asked. "Actually, can you take our picture?"

The man's eyes flitted towards Lucy. "Oh hello, Lucy. We've met before." He held out a hand, bearing a charming smile upon his face.

Lucy returned the gesture, taking the firm handshake. "Yeah, hi."

Natsu looked between them for another moment, before turning to the man. "Uh, so, Dad? Are ya' gonna take the picture or what?"

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. Did Natsu just say 'Dad'? That couldn't be… Natsu didn't look anything like the older man in front of them!

Oh, right… Natsu was adopted.

Lucy cleared her throat and gulped inaudibly. "Uh… this is your Dad, Natsu?"

Natsu's dad turned to Lucy. "Why yes. Did Natsu not tell you? Natsu! I raised you better than this!"

Natsu groaned. "Yeah yeah. Lucy, meet my dad. Dad, meet Lucy. Blah dee blah blah blah can you just take our picture please?"

"Why do you want me to take a picture? I'll do it, but I'm just curious," Natsu's dad said, taking his phone out and opening the camera application.

"We're going to post to Lucy's _GuildMage_! She's never posted a picture before, so I'm going to be the first physical person on her account!"

"Really?" the man asked, shifting his gaze towards Lucy. "You haven't posted a picture yet? That's… how long have you even had your account for?"

Lucy blushed out of embarrassment. "Four years," she said in a quiet tone of voice. Natsu and his father exchanged a look that Lucy definitely noticed. She shot them both a look that accurately portrayed her unappreciation for their behavior.

Like father like son.

"Right, um…" Natsu glanced at his father again, but this time Lucy noticed something different. His hands were clenched into tight fists, but his overall look seemed pretty relaxed. She looked closer, and saw that Natsu's teeth were clenched anxiously, and his eyebrows were flickering.

These actions were something she usually did as well when it came to her own father. It happened to her whenever she was nervous or overwhelmed, but why would Natsu be feeling like that in the moment? Nothing seemed wrong, he was just talking to his dad.

She wondered briefly if it had something to do with that fact, about him talking to his old man, but thought nothing of it. Why would Natsu feel anxious about his own father? It didn't make sense, so Lucy decided to just ignore it for the time being.

"I can take the picture now, if Lucy would stop gawking at my youngest son," the red haired man interrupted her thoughts. Lucy jumped up slightly in embarrassment, and quickly proceeded to run a handful of fingers through her bright blonde hair, mentally practicing her smile and nodding towards Natsu.

"I wasn't gawking. Just thinking. I'm ready," she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the ground impatiently. Natsu rolled his eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were totally gawking at me and that you think I'm so good looking it's hard not to!" he exclaimed.

Lucy deadpanned him a look as he went by her side and the two stood in front of the studio logo on the wall. "Right, yeah. That's obviously it."

"Say 'cheese'!" Natsu's dad said, interrupting them and holding his phone up to their faces.

Lucy did her best to smile for the photo, gasping slightly when she felt Natsu's arm snake around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. She glanced in his direction for a split second, seeing his signature, bright goofy grin plastered on his face. Thankfully, she didn't feel her cheeks warm up as she was too busy trying to angle her head as Natsu's father took picture after picture of the two of them. She silently complied, not wanting to even think about how bad she potentially could be looking in these photos.

"You better send me all of those!" she threatened when Natsu finally let go of her. The pinkette turned to shoot her a cheeky smile as he stole his dad's phone from his hands and scrolled through the camera roll.

"Haha you look like you're about to kiss me!" he said in amusement, turning the screen around to showcase one of the many pictures. Lucy's eyes widened when she saw it was the one from the few seconds when she was looking at Natsu's grin. Her cheeks flushed for the first time in that instant as she realized the implications of what he had just said.

"These are definitely not going anywhere," she muttered, angrily typing in her phone number into Natsu's dad's phone so the photos could be sent to her. "Oh well. That was a waste."

"What are ya' talking about?" Natsu asked. "There were some awesome pictures in there!"

"Really?" Lucy said, quickly opening up her phone and going into the messages app, clicking the unknown number and downloading the pictures. She hastily scrolled through them all, one by one, anxious to see if she looked good in any of them.

There were quite a few passable ones, actually, Lucy realized. She silently grinned to herself when she saw her flustered expressions and Natsu's goofy smiles.

They were _perfect_.

After quickly setting one of them to Natsu's contact picture on her phone, she moved into her _GuildMage_ application and pressed the 'post picture' option. She scanned through the large stock of photos again, trying to find the best one.

"That one's nice," someone said from over her shoulder. She turned to see Natsu's dad looking at her phone, pointing to one of the many pictures. She glanced down at the device, opening up the image and immediately smiling upon seeing it.

Lucy's head was almost resting on Natsu's shoulder and her stomach was resting flat against his. The two's bodies were facing each other while their heads were turned towards the camera. Sure enough, Natsu's hand was resting right on her back, while Lucy's arms were limply hanging by her sides.

"Stranger and Pretty Stranger," Natsu whispered in her ear. Lucy's ears grew warm as he clicked the 'Select' option for her till the caption box appeared. "Though Stranger's insignificant, eh?"

"D-don't say stuff like that!" Lucy quickly said, the warmth from her ears making her cheeks darken more than they already were.

She tagged Natsu using the tagging feature, and still in her slightly angry state, she typed out a caption and pressed 'Post' as quickly as possible so Natsu couldn't read what she had written.

' _Was forced to post this. :/ Ehh thanks for a good day, I guess.'_

"There! Done! Now you can get off of my back for not posting a picture!"

But just as she said it, her phone began vibrating.

 _ **NatsuDragneel**_ _liked your post and commented: "YOU LOVE IT! You're welcome, Luce!"_

"When did you…"

 _ **LevyMcGarGar**_ _liked your post and commented: "What did I tell you?! This is an anime character set up!"_

 _ **ErzaScarlet**_ _liked your post and commented: "You two were together today? Why was I not informed of this?"_

 _ **GrayFullbuster**_ _liked your post and commented: "Tch. Smitten much?"_

 _ **NatsuDragneel**_ _replied to_ _ **GrayFullbuster**_ _: "GRRR GRAAAYY GET OUT OF LUCY'S COMMENTS! WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO BE HERE?"_

Lucy looked blankly up at Natsu. "I swear, if you start a fight with him on my first post, I will actually make you see stars."

"I already see stars whenever I look at you," Natsu muttered in a hilariously bad mockery of a flirtatious tone, all while typing something on his phone and not looking up at her.

Lucy blinked. "That was the worst possible pick up line you could have chosen for that moment."

"Oi!" Natsu said, putting his hands on his hips.

Lucy idly glanced down at her phone, watching as a stupid argument began unfolding between Natsu and Gray, and quickly shut off her phone, not wanting to deal with that at the moment.

"Whatever," she drawled.

She was, though, secretly _very_ happy about the morning's events.

"Gotta say, though, you kinda overdid it with all that handsy stuff," Lucy said, twirling her hair in her fingers.

"Aye!" Natsu's dad grinned. "Never knew you were into that kind of stuff, Natsu!"

"Oh shut it, Dad," Natsu replied, groaning. "And overdoing things is what I'm known for!"

"Uh huh," Lucy nodded.

Natsu then stole a glance at his watch, his eyes widening at the time. He quickly broke into a run, grabbing Lucy's hand and pulling her in the process.

"Oh crap we gotta run!" he said, his feet moving faster and faster as they weaved through the hallways, away from his father.

Lucy let out a high pitched scream as she was pulled along. "Jerk! You could have at least given me a warning! Where the heck are you taking me?!"

"Just come on!" Natsu said, looking back at her and grinning. "Didn't you say you wanted some food? The lunch in the cafeteria must almost be over!"

Lucy blinked. "No, I didn't say that!"

"Exactly, you said that! So let's go!" Natsu said, panting lightly. "There's no way I'm missing out on free food!"

Lucy looked up at him. Her sweaty hand clamped in his, and his bright pink hair running behind his head.

This was _Stranger_.

She still could barely believe it. It was almost unfathomable how small her world really was.

"A-alright," she said, breaking into a light smile, as they ran off towards the cafeteria.

* * *

 **HAH. DID ANYONE NOTICE THE EPISODE 1 REFERENCE AT THE END?**

 **I guess this arc could be called the 'social media' arc, lol. The whole _GuildMage_ concept comes into play more as this part of the story progresses, as it's to do with the main turning point which'll be happening in the next chapter! This was sorta an introduction to what it is!**

 **Also, the next chapter _might_ be a little late. My birthday's this Friday, so I'm gonna be away on vacation for a bit. That being said, I might write a bit before I leave, so who knows?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I love my readers so much ohmygosshhhh**

 **Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes! I had a giddy smile on my face the entire time I was reading your reviews!**

 **Also, we hit 400 reviews! Thank you allllll!**

 **Please enjoy this chapter!**

 **ALSO: I wasn't able to do something concrete for NaLu week this year, so instead, I incorporated today's prompt, _Mask_ , into this chapter. It isn't really that big of a deal regarding the plot, but yeah!**

* * *

Lucy couldn't stop looking back at the post on her _GuildMage_ account all throughout the following day, very much liking the way she and Natsu were posing in the photo, and how many likes and comments she was getting. She was never one to worry about things like social media norms, but for some reason, seeing her notification page blow up every few seconds sent shivers down her spine. Not to mention that because of her friends liking her post, it ended up showing on their own profiles as well, causing Lucy to gain a plethora of new followers after she carefully surveyed their profiles, checking for anything out of the ordinary before accepting their requests.

Walking up the porch to the side entrance of the mansion, Lucy almost tripped in her sandals when she thought there were one too many steps, shaking her head at herself for her stupidity. She sighed, entering the house with her key and placing her bag on the stool, reaching down to unbuckle her shoes and slip them off. She placed them inside the cupboard, before making her way up to her room.

Listening to Natsu play his flute all day made her very much want to keep listening to classical beats. More specifically, she really wanted to replay all of Ig. Neel's tracks on her CD player. Smiling, she flopped onto her bed, grabbing the discs off of her bookshelf and sliding them into her computer, waiting for the screen to show the options. When it did, she moved her mouse over to the 'Play' button, watching eagerly as it changed from a sideways triangle to two horizontal lines.

The beautiful melody she loved so much instantly filled her ears with warmth, sending a gradual feeling of happiness coursing throughout her body. The flute really was her favorite instrument, she had begun to realize. Not only did Natsu play it, but even her favorite artist was a flutist.

She had slowly begun to disperse from the mainstream music her friends were into, like the pop and rock gunk they were always listening to. If it was earlier, Lucy would have definitely accepted Levy's right earbud and danced along to the tunes she was playing. Now, instead, she downloaded classical music and all of Ig. Neel's recorded albums into the library of her phone, erasing her old music to clear up space.

She loved silently bopping her head to the clarinets, oboes, saxophones, trumpets, french horns, and percussion instruments, liking the way the soothing sounds calmed her every nerve and fiber.

Then, Lucy opened a new tab on her laptop and went to her document platform, clicking the most recent one and scrolling down to the bottom where she had just left off. It was the most recent piece of writing she had been working on. A narrative focusing on a young girl trapped inside a haunted house.

 _Everything was black,_ she typed, propping her legs into the air as her fingers flew across the keyboard. _Black, with hints of grey. Grey speckles, that sometimes faded into white. The color of death. The color of life._

Stopping, she repeated the words out loud, a good strategy to make sure everything flowed smoothly. She giggled when she found that her words rhymed slightly, but didn't move to change them.

 _Life and death were two things she didn't want to think about. She was already close to dying out of pure fear, but deep down, she knew she was alive and well._ Lucy scrunched her nose, not liking how that sentence sounded. Shrugging, she decided to go back and edit it later. _The twelve-year-old stared out into nothing. The blackness taunting her with every step she took. She knew that if she made the wrong choice, something awful was likely to jump out at her, scaring her more than her mother's cooking._ It wasn't supposed to be a comedy, but it worked with the scene. _The ground crunched under the soles her her worn out sneakers, blisters likely erupting throughout her skin and sending painful sores coursing in her direction. She closed her eyes, willing herself to not be afraid, finding the thought almost amusing in her own twisted little way. Her fantasies of living in a Barbie doll house gone, her dreams of one day being like her older sister vanished. All that remained was the hard, rough sensation of the beating of her heart, a painful reminder that she was, in fact, still living. Probably not for much longer, though, as the clock in her mind ticked, signaling that the time to her impending doom was slowly, but surely, growing smaller with each passing second._

Lucy read over the words she had just written a few times, correcting any small grammatical issues or punctuation errors as she proofread the section. She loved writing horror stories. They filled her with intense excitement, even though she did know what was going to be happening next. That was one of the beauties of being an author. She was able to know exactly how the story would progress, but still get the rush and thrill of getting to a good part inch by inch.

She slowly tuned back into reality, hearing a fast flute song being played from the speakers of her keyboard. Lucy blinked, recognizing the song as-

"Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's _Flight of the Bumblebee_! Performed by Ig. Neel!" Jude exclaimed, bursting into her room with a wide grin etched onto his face. "Lucy! I thought I heard my favorite flutist's performances coming from your room!"

"F-Father?!" Lucy said, shutting her laptop quickly, effectively ending the song. Jude pouted childishly, before walking up to her and sitting on her bed.

"Lucy, you were listening to Ig. Neel again?" he asked, the creepy smile not leaving his face. "Again? I can see you adore him just as much as I do."

Lucy winced, not at all liking the look on her father's face. Jude rarely smiled, if ever, so she had her rights to be able to feel this way. "Um… right. I was listening to him, yes."

Jude nodded. "Do you enjoy his playing as much as I think you do? He's been in retirement for years, but I'm sure I could pull a few strings if you really like him that much," he said, muttering the last part to himself. Lucy barely heard him, but she didn't really want to know what he meant by that, so she chose to ignore it.

"I… I do like the flute, if that's what you're asking. It's my favorite instrument," she explained, her mood brightening ever so slightly. "And I do enjoy Ig. Neel a lot. I'd love to hear more of his playing, but that obviously won't be happening."

Jude just looked thoughtful. "I suppose. But that's only the way to think if you weren't part of such a fortunate family," he said, making Lucy's eyes narrow slightly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Jude shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. I was just talking to myself."

Her father's behavior was especially strange today, Lucy finalized. "I see," she said, before glancing towards the door to her room. Jude instantly noticed this, and exited her bedroom without another word.

Lucy sighed, opening her laptop and pressing 'Play' on the screen, continuing to drown herself in the melody of the fast paced song that was currently playing.

Her phone chimed once, then twice.

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'm at the after concert party for all Major's Establishment performers._

 _Natsu Dragneel: So boorrreeedddd…_

Lucy smiled upon reading Natsu's name in her notifications, and quickly went to reply to him.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: A party? That sounds fun! Don't you have friends you can talk to?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Yeah, but the theme this year is 'Masquerade'. Everyone's wearing masks and I have no idea who's who._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Poor you. :(_

 _Natsu Dragneel: I know you're making fun of me._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: You got me. You could always take off your mask and wait for someone to find you instead._

 _Natsu Dragneel: That breaks event etiquette! Can't do that!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Well, unlike you, I'm lazing on my bed and listening to music._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Ooh! What kind of music?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Classical. My favorite flutist!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: … Awww, Luce! You recorded my performance?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: I didn't mean you._

 _Natsu Dragneel: THAT'S JUST COLD!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Hahaha._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Also, my dad's performing at this party for the first time in years! I'm both excited and nervous for him heehhh._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Your father performs?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Oh yeah. He was this big deal before he retired._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: So… he's coming out of retirement?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: No, he's just performing for the small party. It's super private. No media or reporters or anything know about it. Technically I'm not even supposed to be telling you this, so shush!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Got it. Well, I hope you have fun!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Are you ditching me on our text date?_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm writing right now and need minimum distractions!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'm your favorite distraction._

 _Lucy Heartfilia: You won't be anymore if you keep distracting me!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Oi!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Bye, Natsu._

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'll text ya later._

…

The ballroom hall was hot and humid. People wove in and out, going to the food table and drinking cold fruit punch, and sitting down with slices of strawberry cake and talking to other people at the gala.

Natsu's eyes trailed on his phone, looking over his previous messages he had just exchanged with Lucy a few seconds ago, before sighing and slipping the device back into his pocket. He groaned, glancing at the large, grand clock on the highest wall. There were still four hours till he was free to go home, but Igneel's performance would be starting in just an hour.

"Yo, Natsu!" Romeo said, waving towards the pink haired flutist and walking up to him with two glasses of punch in his hands. He was wearing a bright blue mask over his eyes, while Natsu was wearing a red one.

Natsu gladly took one of the glasses, taking a few sips and marvelling at the delicious taste.

"What's up, Romeo?" he answered, gulping down the rest of the drink in a single stride. Natsu wasn't usually one for punch drinks like these, but this one was honestly one of the best he had tasted. "What's in this punch?"

"I think it's apricot based," Romeo said, sipping at his own drink. Natsu nodded.

"Makes sense," he replied with a grin. "Did I ever congratulate you on your awesome performance on concert night?"

Romeo shook his head. "No, but thanks! Wendy and I thought you did really well too!"

Natsu smiled. "Thanks!"

"So, your dad's performing?" Romeo said, easing into the topic as casually as possible. Natsu noticed this, but didn't say anything about it. He just nodded.

"Yeah, he is. He should be on any minute now, actually," he said.

"Are you excited?"

"'Course I am! My old man's not performed in front of a crowd in sixteen years!" Natsu exclaimed. "Honestly, whenever I got home this past week, all I've heard is Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major, Second Selection, _Adagio ma Non Troppo_. It was his favorite piece as a kid."

"I've heard of that! Didn't you play it once?"

"Yep. It's a bit slower than other selections, but it's a good solo piece," Natsu nodded. "I mean, it was either that or the same album, but the first selection, _Allegro Maestoso_. Adagio's slower."

"Is he that out of practice?" Romeo questioned, leaning on his left leg and cocking his head to the side curiously.

"No, but it's a little easier for someone who hasn't played in so long," Natsu shrugged. "His flute rusted a bit too, so it might affect the sound of a faster selection."

Romeo smirked, raising his eyebrows. "Wow, Natsu, you sound smarter than usual."

Natsu scoffed childishly, a big grin spreading across his face. "I can sound smart if I wanna! Flute is my passion!"

"Yeah yeah, right. Excuses excuses," Romeo laughed. "But I don't think you've got anything to worry about. Your father's _Igneel_. He's someone young musicians like us look up to. He won't let you down."

Natsu faltered for just a moment, sweat rising on his eyebrows before he calmed down. "Y-yeah. He won't," he said, nodding affirmatively.

"Ladies and gentlemen," an announcer began, signaling everyone to quiet down. Natsu and Romeo instantly looked over to the stage area, where a familiar, tall red-head was walking to the center, a bright bronze flute in his left hand. "We will now take a short break for a special performance by previous flute master, Igneel!"

Everyone around the room clapped wildly, and Natsu saw Igneel glance around. No doubt that he was looking for him. Natsu quickly ducked down, obscuring his father's vision. After a few seconds, he straightened up, satisfied. Igneel was looking back down at his flute, lifting it up to his mouth. Natsu was positive he hadn't seen him.

Igneel was performing.

 _His father was performing_.

For the first time in a few months, the weird sensation he couldn't explain was creeping up Natsu's back.

Upon hearing the first note Igneel played, something churned in the pits of Natsu's stomach, causing him to grab his sides and wince at the disgusting feeling.

Igneel continued through the melodious song, and Natsu clutched himself, trying to block out the music and focus solely on the floor. He found this impossible as the ex-flutist's sound drew every single person in, excluding no one.

The back of his throat began to itch as Igneel flew through the piece with just as much beauty as his playing was before he retired. Natsu stared at his shoes, trying to stop his thoughts from running wild. He was already having painful flashbacks to when he was just a kid and Igneel told him and Zeref about his retirement. Natsu's mind began spinning and his heart kept speeding up.

Right before the song finished, Natsu took a glance towards Romeo. He saw the younger boy's awestricken expression for Igneel before he completely snapped. Natsu turned and ran out of the room, not stopping once.

Sweat tickled his face and bile began to rise in the depths of his throat. His entire body ached as he tried to forget about what he had just saw, and heard.

It was proven impossible when he stumbled into the men's bathroom, picking a random stall and hunching over, throwing his mask away and emptying the vile, watery contents of his stomach into the pot.

He kept throwing up, the back of his mouth burning and his tastebuds yelling at him to stop. He couldn't. He ignored himself.

Igneel swirled in his mind. His music, his forgotten career. Everything bundled up inside and Natsu panted, heaved, trying to stop himself from going completely insane. Igneel was right there, back in the auditorium, probably waiting for him to go up to him and give him a hug or whatever he was supposed to do.

He had never felt more dirty and selfish, as he washed his hands, cleaned himself up, and exited the bathroom.

…

Jude was a Heartfilia, and because of this, he obviously had inside information to all of the highest social events that were otherwise kept private.

For example, the private party for Major's Establishment that was held earlier that night, and the surprise performer that shocked everybody.

Ig. Neel had played his flute, and word was not to be let out about it.

Jude wasn't an idiot. He wasn't going to do anything rash or stupid, like let the flutist's secret out. He had more common sense than that.

The fact that his daughter was seemingly obsessed with this same musician also played a crucial part to his thoughts at the moment.

Jude was not a bad father, but he definitely was not the best, either. He knew that.

He had to do something to make it up to Lucy. It would also have an impact on her listening to him when it came to the time when she would be booked for more marriage interviews. In order for the girl to listen to him, he had to do something for her in return.

There was no doubt in his mind that Lucy would very much appreciate being able to listen to Ig. Neel's music again. If the world famous flutist returned, everything in his house would be great. It would be perfect.

Without thinking further into his newfound plan, Jude picked up his smartphone and clicked into the _GuildMage_ app, but before he could do anything else, the first post on his feed caught his eye.

 _Since when did Lucy post pictures?_

The picture was of his daughter wrapped in the arms of that boy, Natsu, whom he and his daughter had gone to see play a few days ago. Jude remembered that Lucy had also gone to see him yesterday at flute rehearsals.

 _Lucy was settling for an amateur flute player, when she could be having her favorite one, Ig. Neel._

Jude was adamant on his thought that just because she couldn't hear quality music, she was becoming friends with another, lower grade flutist. Jude nodded, satisfied with his conclusion as he clicked the button to make a new text post.

Jude Heartfilia's account had over one million followers, due to how popular his business was, so people were bound to see this post no matter what. That was what mattered.

 _ **NEW TEXT POST**_

 **Title:** _Ig. Neel Must Return_

 **Text:** _Please return to the realm of music, Ig. Neel. You were great before, and you will be great again. Ig's retirement has gone on too long. Petitions are welcome._

With a static expression, Jude pressed 'Post', setting his phone down and nodding to himself.

Ig. Neel would return, and Lucy would be happy.

Jude was a great father indeed.


	18. Chapter 18

Natsu gently clicked his tongue as he scrolled through the spam of messages he had gotten from Gray earlier that day. He, Zeref, and Mavis had gone out for lunch, and somehow he had missed the numerous texts his frenemy had sent.

 _Gray Fullbastard: Did you really throw up at the party?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: Heard from Erza, who was told by Jellal, who was told by Wendy._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Duuuuude._

 _Gray Fullbastard: I knew you had a few screws loose, but come on._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Can't believe you actually let everyone see your stupidness like that._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Why'd you do it anyway?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: Sincerely, a not-very-concerned smart person._

 _Gray Fullbastard: How's your dad doing, by the way?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: It isn't you I care about, it's him. Must be pretty traumatized with everything that's been happening lately to be honest._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Also, I'm purposely sending these messages in separate bubbles by the way._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Though you probably knew that._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Where are you? You usually answer within minutes._

 _Gray Fullbastard: In all seriousness though, Natsu, if something really is wrong, let me know, okay?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: I'll try to pretend to care._

The messages stopped there, and Natsu would be lying if he said his expression didn't soften a bit upon reading the last three texts. Even a blind man would be able to tell that Natsu and Gray were great friends. They cared about each other, and that much was obvious.

They also trusted each other, though Natsu couldn't tell Gray _everything_. That was unrealistic.

 _Natsu Dragneel: So you do care!_

 _Natsu Dragneel: I'm fine, Icy. I don't know why I did it; you're not very smart; Igneel's doing fine; he isn't traumatized._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Why would be be traumatized?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: Just wondering, sheesh. And I don't care, that's why I said I didn't._

 _Gray Fullbastard: Where were you?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: Grub._

 _Gray Fullbastard: For five hours?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: You were counting?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: Idiot. Everyone can do math._

 _Natsu Dragneel: You can't. I was gone for four hours._

 _Gray Fullbastard: What's five o'clock minus twelve o'clock, Natsu?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: You can't subtract times! See! Ha! I told ya you couldn't do math!_

 _Gray Fullbastard: It's five hours. Not four hours. You failed Math in junior high, right?_

 _Natsu Dragneel: No I didn't! I just took the extra classes to get better grades!_

 _Gray Fullbastard: Yeah. The classes that were required for students who got below a forty on their midterm._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Let's see you get any better than a forty!_

 _Gray Fullbastard: I got a forty-seven. You got a thirty-nine._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Tch._

 _Natsu Dragneel: No one likes you._

 _Gray Fullbastard: My girlfriend does._

 _Natsu Dragneel: That doesn't count!_

 _Gray Fullbastard: I think not._

 _Gray Fullbastard: This is going nowhere._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Ya think?_

 _Gray Fullbastard: You there? Can I call you? Texting is annoying._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Go for it._

It didn't take long after that for Natsu's phone to light up with an incoming voice request, to which he accepted. Upon lifting the device to his ear, Gray's irritating voice filled his ears.

"Hey, flame-brains," he said as his opening, and Natsu could faintly hear some rustling in the background, followed by a loud bang and a soft murmur of, "Shit."

"What're you doing?" Natsu asked, getting up from his desk chair and sitting on his bed, carrying his laptop with him and opening it up. As he mindlessly scrolled through the latest chapter of his favorite manga, taking screenshots here and there. One of his hobbies was taking manga caps and drawing lineart for them. Occasionally, artists online would color his lining, but it didn't happen very often.

"I was working on a new sculpture for Juvia's anniversary present," he explained.

"Yeah? How long?"

"Two days from now will mark three months," he said, and Natsu could tell he was holding something, probably a hammer or an ice pick, in his mouth.

"Wait, I thought you got together at the beginning of the school year?" he asked curiously. "That means you've only been together for around a month."

"Like I would let it her publicize it before I knew it wasn't just a fling," Gray scoffed. "Plus, you know how she is. It was hard enough as it was to subdue her for two months."

"A fling?" Natsu sniggered. "Aww, is little Gray in looove?"

"Shut… shut up!" Gray mumbled. "We all know about your thing with Lucy."

"I have no 'thing' with Lucy," Natsu shot back immediately. "We aren't dating. We don't even like each other like that."

"Right. I totally believe you," Gray said. "I'm genuinely curious, though, I know she knows about the whole 'Stranger' thing, but is she really alright with it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I for sure would be pissed if I found out someone was tricking me like that," Gray said, and Natsu could practically hear his eye roll. "Just saying, but she hasn't really brought it up in conversation so far. And you know how close Lucy and I are."

"You're _friends_ ," Natsu practically growled. "And I'm way closer to her than you are! Go back to your own girlfriend!"

"My _own_ girlfriend?" Gray said, coughing. "And there you have it. Natsu Dragneel admits his everlasting love for Lucy Heartfilia. I don't think any of us were surprised."

"Shut up, Gray!" Natsu groaned. "I don't like her like that!"

"Uh huh."

"Grrr I hate you!"

"The feeling is mutual, don't worry."

They fell into a gradual silence, filled with a few pecks every now and then from Gray's side of the call, and the small gasps and noises Natsu made as he read through the chapter.

"You reading that manga again?" Gray asked. "What was it, _Fairy Tail_? I just finished yester-"

"Shush! I'm almost at the end!" Natsu said, clicking the right arrow on his computer so he was able to view the next page. "I'm so confused… why is everything set a year ahead?"

He faintly heard Gray snort in the background. "Maybe because it's the final chapter? I already read it yesterday when it came out."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Wait… what do you mean, 'final chapter'?"

"It's the last chapter, Natsu," Gray said. "Didn't you know this? You started reading it before me, too."

"But…" His head was spinning. "But the war just ended last chapter! Remember? The main character fell out of the sky and-"

"Yeah. The war _ended_. That was the last war," Gray cut in. "Honestly, how much of an idiot are you?"

"No…" Natsu said, his voice breathy and hitchy.

"Are you gonna cry?" Gray said in a teasing tone. "Aww, Natsu has a softie heart!"

"I'm not gonna cry, stupid! It's just… no way! I don't believe you!" Natsu accused. "Stop playing with my head!"

"I'm not having this conversation with you right now," Gray said. "Oh, I wanted to ask you, how's your dad doing?"

Natsu sighed, deciding he'd rather have his full attention for the chapter. He closed his laptop, knowing it would be better to read it later, and focused on the question at hand.

"He's fine?" he said, the statement coming out more as a question. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"What about Jude Heartfilia's post on GuildMage?" Gray asked bluntly. "I thought that would have _some_ kind of effect on him, if any."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "Jude Heartfilia's post? Lucy's dad made a post on GuildMage?"

"Don't you follow him?" Gray asked, clicking his tongue. "I followed him the instant I found out he was Lucy's father. And you call yourself her friend."

"Oh shut up, Gray!" Natsu said, jumping off of his bed and grabbing his phone from the music dock on his desk. He opened the GuildMage application, scrolling to the search bar and clicking it. "What's his username?"

"First name last name," Gray replied absentmindedly, which suggested he had gone back to working on his ice sculpture.

Natsu nodded, even though he knew the latter couldn't see him. He typed in ' _judeheartfilia'_ into the search bar, and clicked the first option.

A verified account with over three hundred thousand followers. Natsu gulped, before clicking into the account's text posts. The first one instantly caught his eye, as it already had a flood of likes and comments. Curious, he scrolled down to it, his breath instantly catching in his throat upon reading it.

 _Ig. Neel Must Return_

 _Please return to the realm of music, Ig. Neel. You were great before, and you will be great again. Ig's retirement has gone on too long. Petitions are welcome._

"Shit!" Natsu instantly yelled, his hands clamping over his mouth as he stared with wide eyes down at his screen.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Gray asked, snapping back into reality.

"Oh crap. This isn't good," Natsu said, slamming his laptop open again and going to an open Google tab. He typed in 'Jude Heartfilia Ig. Neel Post' and pressed 'enter', not at all surprised to see a flood of results flow in instantly. "All of these news websites have something about this!"

"I know," Gray said. "I don't get it. Why's this a bad thing?"

"You said it yourself!" Natsu said, his voice raising. "Igneel's gonna be furious!"

"Furious?" Gray asked. "Why would he be furious? Maybe a little overwhelmed, sure, but I doubt he'll take it that badly."

But Natsu wasn't listening to him anymore. He turned his attention to the numerous articles.

 _Heartfilia Jude declares a musical return for ex-musician, Ig. Neel! As we all know, Ig. Neel was an international sensation and made his name in the realm of classical music. Young musicians everywhere look up to him as a role model and an example set for themselves. Why is Heartfilia Jude requesting his presence in the music industry again?_

Jude Heartfilia of Heartfilia Corps makes a daring declaration, requesting Ig. Neel to return to the industry of music!

In Jude Heartfilia's words, ex-professional flutist Ig. Neel was "great before, and [he] will be great again." Jude Heartfilia is known for his cold, stoic attitude towards everything but his business, so is this a compliment, or a war declaration?

Are Heartfilia Jude's words sincere? What could have caused his sudden change in heart and feelings?

"I'm so done," Natsu groaned, rubbing his forehead and trying to calm himself down. "Why would Lucy's old man do something like… this…?"

Natsu's mind was on a roll again, and he suddenly felt nauseous.

"Natsu? Are you alright?" Gray's voice called for him.

"N-no," Natsu said softly, grabbing his bedsheets and clutching them tightly. "N-no I'm… I'm not."

Gray didn't answer right away, which gave Natsu a few seconds to think over the situation. If Igneel were to find this post or anything to do with it, he would no doubt think about why he retired in the first place, and then he would get angry at Natsu.

Natsu didn't want that.

"Listen," Gray started again, "you don't have to tell me what's wrong, but I just texted Lucy and the rest of our friends. We're taking you out for dinner, okay?"

Natsu let out a small smile at that, thankful for having such a great friend, though he'd never let Gray know about that.

"Tch. Yeah. Whatever," he said, but he knew Gray could tell he was happy about it.

"I'll pick you up at seven," he said.

Natsu gulped. "Thanks, buddy," he said.

"Yeah," was Gray's final remark before he cut the phone. The minute the line went silent, Natsu scrambled to his feet, hopping around the room and flailing his arms around.

He had to figure out a way to hide that post from Igneel somehow. He couldn't let him see it, no matter what.

"Natsu?" Zeref's voice called. Natsu turned to see his older brother standing in his doorway, staring at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing? Why are you running around the room like that?"

It hit Natsu then that Zeref could probably help him with this. He was bound to understand where he was coming from, after all.

"Look at this!" Natsu said, shoving his phone into Zeref's face, Jude's post still open on it. Zeref patiently takes the device with both his hands and reads the text, his eyes falling short as he let out a soft gasp and turned back to look at Natsu with his eyebrows high on his face.

"Oh, this is not good," Zeref said. Natsu nodded.

"I know. I don't want Igneel to see this," he said.

"He should not. I cannot imagine how overwhelmed he will feel."

"It isn't just that," Natsu whispered, and thankfully, Zeref didn't hear him. "What do you suppose we do?" he asked, this time in a much louder voice.

"I do not know," Zeref replied. He glanced at the clock on Natsu's wall. "Do you have any plans later today?"

"I was invited to dinner," Natsu said.

Zeref nodded to this. "Alright. Dad is napping right now. When do you have to leave?"

"Seven."

"Then we have less than an hour to figure this out," Zeref said, clapping his hands together. Natsu was surprised to see a large smirk overtake his face.

"Uh…"

" _Mio-chan!_ " Zeref suddenly yelled, cupping his mouth with his hands to make his voice louder. Natsu looked on in surprise as Mavis instantly popped her head into the room, looking straight at Zeref with a cute smile.

"Yes, Arius-kun?"

"Why are you guys calling each other-" Natsu started, eager for answers, but was too late as Zeref had already started talking.

"Mavis, we need your help in stopping Dad from seeing something on the internet," he said, looking down at his short, adorable fiancé. Mavis' eyes widened, but she didn't question him. She just turned to Natsu, flashed him her regular grin, before going back to looking thoughtful.

Her weight shifted to her left leg, and her hands flew up to stroke her chin. Both Zeref and Natsu watched her closely as she mumbled a few things to herself, clearly in deep thought. Natsu could only hope it was about the matter at hand, and not about something else completely unrelated.

"I've got it!" Mavis suddenly squealed, jumping up and down and shaking her fists up in the air in a very childish manner. Natsu just stared at her with a weird look, while Zeref's eyes softened.

"You have?" he asked, building on her excitement. At this point, even Natsu was curious as to what his future sister-in-law was going to say.

"We could just disconnect his internet connection entirely!" she said, snapping her fingers and smirking deeply. Her eyes dilated and her lips quirked to the sides, giving off a slightly eerie, yet still smart vibe. Natsu swallowed, knowing that if he were to succeed and Igneel found out, he would be put through an endless cycle of questioning.

"That is a good idea," Zeref said. "Though it in itself has consequences."

"If it does end up working," Natsu cut in, "I want to make it clear right now that none of this was my idea."

"Correct," Zeref nodded, turning to Mavis. "The blame will go on Mavis. It has been decided."

The blonde girl just shrugged, not seeming to be at all bothered by this. "Makes sense," she said. "Igneel is least likely to be mad at me for something, after all. I'm going to be his charming little daughter-in-law!"

The boys nodded, prompting Mavis to squeal again out of excitement.

"Natsu," Zeref started again, "do you know where the power outlets and the connections are? I have not really been in this house for a while."

"Yeah," Natsu nodded, making a hand gesture for them to follow him. "Pretty sure they're in the basement."

"Then let us go," Zeref said, following after his younger brother as they maneuvered through the large house, Natsu in the lead. They reached the door to the basement, careful to move past Igneel's room as quietly as possible, and descended down the large staircase to the finished room.

"Here we are," Natsu whispered, immediately walking over to the room with the oil and gas tanks.

"I remember studying with Dad for college here," Zeref's voice came, making Natsu turn to look at him. Zeref was currently walking around the large room with Mavis at his side, and it looked like he was giving her a tour. "And here is where I lost my first tooth," he continued, pointing to a small play kitchen in the corner. Mavis was smiling and giggling up at the tall man, nodding every time he told her something new.

Natsu watched them for a while, a small smile gracing his own lips. The way his brother and his lover interacted was something he could barely fathom. He barely even knew Mavis as it was, but seeing her around Zeref made him think he knew her his entire life. He briefly wondered if that was how Zeref felt around her. If he did, Natsu wouldn't blame him. He would give anything to feel loved and accepted by someone wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with him.

Though it wasn't looking for something like a girlfriend at this moment in time. He had better things to be worrying over. Besides, there really wasn't anyone who could even think to turn a friendship into a relationship that he knew of. Not yet, at least.

He couldn't be thinking about this right now. He had to figure out how to turn off Igneel's internet usage. Shaking his head, Natsu redirected his attention to the wall of outlets, his eyes scanning over the multiple plugs till they landed on the ones for the internet.

There were three channels as of now. One for him, one for Igneel, and one for Zeref. Zeref's line had just been restarted when he returned, and Natsu had taken the privilege to add all of Mavis' devices to his line as well.

Natsu fiddled around with Igneel's line, till he saw the 'off' switch. A wicked grin appeared across his face as he quickly switched it off, immediately running out of the room and locking the door behind him for safe measure. He turned around, sighing in relief.

"Done!" he said, pumping his fist in the air in a short victory cheer. Both Zeref and Mavis returned the gesture, and the three of them turned to go back upstairs.

"Just in time, too," Zeref said, glancing at the clock. "You will be heading out in a few minutes, right, Natsu?"

Natsu stole a look towards his phone which displayed the time. He nodded affirmatively. According to the time, Gray would be here in around three minutes, and he wasn't usually known for being late.

"I'll just go get my stuff, then," Natsu said, running up to the staircase.

Just as he was about to place his foot on the first step, he remembered something important. He quickly twisted his body so that he was looking back at Zeref, who was giving him a questioning stare.

"Natsu? What is it?" he asked.

Natsu took a deep breath. "Zeref," he started. "Why do you call Igneel 'Dad'?"

Zeref looked almost taken aback by this question, and Natsu could understand why. He himself didn't truly get why he wasn't perfectly able to call his adoptive father by the intimate name, though he had some idea of his reasoning. Sure, he called him 'Dad' to his face, but when he referred to Igneel when he wasn't around, he always called him by his first name.

Zeref, though, was different. He always addressed Igneel as his father, no matter what. Natsu couldn't even remember a time when he didn't hear the three letter word being said by him.

"I… I call him 'Dad' because he is that. He is my dad," came Zeref's answer. He then shifted gears. "What about you, Natsu? Why do you not always call Dad your father?"

Natsu truly did not know what to say to that. He could say anything except the truth, after all. The truth was painful, and Natsu was sure Zeref would get hurt by it and instantly jump to conclusions. The truth pulled back too many memories Natsu wanted to forget.

The truth was that Natsu was afraid.

So, with a hearty breath and a slow, calming smile that always sent shivers down anybody's back, Natsu replied to him.

"Guess I just never got used to it."

…

"You take forever," Gray said as Natsu climbed into the passenger seat of his car. Natsu looked back to wave to his brother and Mavis, before settling into the seat and buckling himself up.

"Well I'm sorry. I wanted to look presentable," Natsu said with a roll of his eyes.

Gray shrugged. "You never look presentable. Another day wouldn't hurt."

Natsu laughed at that, prompting Gray to start up the engine and drive off.

"We're picking up Juvia and Lucy, and then we'll go to the restaurant," he said, making a right turn. Natsu lifted an eyebrow.

"Is that it? Just Luce and Juvia?"

Gray nodded. "Erza and Jellal already had plans, and Levy's gone on a day trip with her family. Gajeel just didn't want to come."

"Probably because Levy couldn't make it," Natsu snorted.

"Exactly," Gray nodded.

"What about Lisanna and Mira?" Natsu asked. "Cana? Laxus?"

"Didn't invite them," Gray replied simply.

"What?" Natsu asked, confused. Gray didn't invite all of their friends? Why wouldn't he? "Why didn't you? They're our friends too."

"Yeah, but I wanted to keep the party to its minimum size today," Gray explained, before taking another turn into Juvia's street. "Besides, I think you need to take your mind off things. This group is the best for that."

Well, of Gray was going about that logic, then it would make even more sense to invite Lisanna, at least. She was his oldest friend, after all, but Gray didn't really seem to care about that.

It looked like he cared a lot about Lucy, though. Natsu didn't question it, and instead just leaned on the armrest, looking out of his window while Gray parked his car and whipped out his phone, undoubtedly texting his girlfriend to come outside.

It didn't take long for the blue haired girl in question to come running out of her house wearing a nice navy blue skirt with a white top. Juvia climbed into the seat behind Gray, leaning forwards to give him a peck on his cheek.

Natsu pretended to gag, which made Gray elbow him roughly.

"Hello, Gray-sama, Natsu-san," she said putting on her seatbelt and taking out her phone, typing something.

Natsu almost cringed. "Juvia, don't use the honorific, please."

Juvia cocked an eyebrow at him. "But Juvia has always called Natsu-san by that honorific."

"You have?" Natsu asked, clueless.

"Yes…" Juvia replied, stunned.

"Oi, Juvia, don't think too much on it," Gray said as he began driving again. "You know how much of an idiot he is, right?"

Juvia seemed content with this explanation, making Natsu groan. He couldn't expect anything less, though. She _was_ Gray's girlfriend, after all.

As they drove to Lucy's place, Gray and Juvia began talking about their upcoming anniversary, occasionally being stopped by Natsu because he wanted to spoil the surprise Gray was giving her with the ice sculpture. Every time he tried, though, he was punched hard in his gut by the driver, making him let out a weak laugh in return.

When they finally arrived outside of Lucy's place, Gray took out his phone, ready to message her, but Natsu quickly stopped him, taking out his own phone and forming a message.

He missed the smirks on both Gray and Juvia's faces.

 _Natsu Dragneel: Yo, Luce! Ice Chip's parked outside. Come quickly! I can't stand the lovey-dovey tension that's going on between him and Juvia._

Her reply was almost instant, making his fingers twitch in excitement.

 _Lucy Heartfilia: Yikes! I'll be right out._

 _Natsu Dragneel: Chop chop!_

 _Lucy Heartfilia: -_-_

Just as that message streamed into his text messaging history, the door to the large mansion opened wide to reveal Lucy standing there, wearing a pair of dark denim shorts and a see-through black top. Underneath the top, she wore a bright yellow tank, accentuating every part of her body.

Natsu couldn't help but stare at her as she waltzed down the porch steps, a small white purse slung over her shoulder. She climbed into the car and into the seat next to Juvia and behind Natsu, smiling to everyone.

"Hey, guys! Thanks for inviting me," she said immediately, and Natsu could instantly tell she wasn't usually given invitations to hangouts with friends like this. He would have to take care of that.

"Of course!" Gray said, giving her a thumbs up. The two of them exchanged some weird eye contact, which made Natsu's stomach churn in a weird way. ' _Snap out of it, Natsu,'_ he told himself, shaking his head.

"Hi, Natsu," Lucy said, offering him a small grin. "Are you feeling okay? You didn't text me at all till just now. How was the party?"

Natsu instantly felt guilty for his sudden MIA. He knew he should have let Lucy know something at least. He could have told her that he had made it back from the party. She wouldn't even have to know about his little vomiting stunt.

"This guy threw up all night over there," Gray cut in, hitting Natsu's back in a friendly slapping motion. Natsu winced as he looked into the rearview mirror, watching as Lucy's facial expression changed from surprised to worried.

"You did?" she asked, her tone suggesting disbelief. "Natsu, why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important," Natsu mumbled, looking down at his lap.

"But I could have done something! I could have-"

"I'm _fine_ ," Natsu cut in, his tone becoming a little harsher than he had first intended. He refused to meet her gaze again as the occupants of the car fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"O-oh…" was Lucy's only reply.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Juvia decided to speak up.

"Why don't we all play a game?" she suggested, clapping her hands together and smiling thoughtfully.

"Too late. We're already here," Gray said as they pulled into the parking lot of a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant. "Anyone up for some fish and rice?"

"Aw yeah!" Natsu said, going back to his regular attitude as they exited the car. He glanced back to see Lucy a few steps behind him, so he stopped walking for a second till they were right next to each other. Gray and Juvia were up ahead, lost in their own world.

"I'm sorry for not considering your feelings in the car," Lucy instantly said. "I spoke without thinking. I'm sorry."

Natsu's eyes widened, not expecting this from her. "What? Oh please, Luce. Why're ya' apologizing? Sheesh."

"Natsu! I'm trying to be sincere!" Lucy wailed. "Tch. You shouldn't interrupt people when they're talking to you."

"I never interrupted ya'!" he said, shooting her a wink. Lucy gaped at him, knowing the truth in his words, but she didn't say anything regarding it.

Natsu gave her one last smile, before the group of four entered the restaurant and were seated at a large table. Plates and plates of food began arriving onto the spinning counter, and they immediately reached for their chopsticks and began to dig in. Gray and Juvia sat on one side of the table, while Natsu and Lucy sat across from them, on the other side.

"It's been so long since Juvia has had traditional cuisine!" Juvia exclaimed. "This is so nice!"

"I agree," Lucy nodded, biting into her rice ball. "I don't usually go out to eat anyway, and the cooks never make authentic food."

"This is pretty good," Gray nodded. "This is my first time coming to this specific place. Cana recommended it for their alcohol, but apparently their sushi is top-notch too."

"Yeah, I'm not drinking at all tonight," Lucy giggled. "Or ever, if that's possible. At least, not while I'm still living under the same roof as my dad."

"Your dad has strict drinking rules?" Gray asked. Natsu kept quiet, already knowing the answer to his question.

"You've met him before," Lucy said with a laugh. "You know what he's like."

"Gray's met your dad, Luce?" Natsu then questioned, taken aback by this new information. "When?"

"At your concert," Lucy smiled. "I was sitting in between them, and my father wanted to meet him."

"He doesn't seem too bad," Gray noted, swallowed a particularly large bite.

Natsu was definitely not expecting Lucy to then take her free hand and clench it to his knee. He immediately turned to look down at it, watching as her sharp nails dug into the fabric of his shorts. He then looked up at her face, but was surprised to see she looked completely normal, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Yeah, he's not too bad," she said, but only Natsu could hear the strain in her voice. He gulped, deciding something on the spot. He took his own hand and rested it on hers that was still holding tightly onto him. They both looked towards Gray and Juvia as per normal as Natsu gently lifted her fingers into his hand, and Lucy intertwined them together.

They sat there, holding hands in a total friend-like way, eating with their other hand and continuing to converse with each other about the silliest of things.

Gray was right. Natsu really did need this.

Gray was right. It wouldn't have been the same if there were more people here.

Natsu hated to admit it, but Gray really did keep him in mind when he was planning this evening out. He purposely took them to a friendly, easygoing environment for dinner instead of another more high class place.

With another glance down at Lucy's hand in his, his mind turned back to Igneel and Jude Heartfilia's post.

Did Lucy know about it? Probably not. She would have said something sooner, otherwise. She didn't seem like the type to check her GuildMage account too often either.

Natsu could only hope that Igneel would never know about it as well.

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait! To compensate, I added that entire dinner part to this chapter. Originally, it was supposed to end with Natsu turning off Igneel's internet, but I was like eehhhh. So there's some extra NaLu for you, folks!**

 **FAirY tAiL eNdeD!**

 ***cries***

 **I won't put any spoilers from the manga here, but ahhhh I loved the last chapter! I know a lot of you were meh about it, but I truly did enjoy it! I'm satisfied with the ending, and I'm totally looking forward to some more FT content for later on!**

 **Also, don't mind me while I sprinkle random references to 545 in this chapter heh. My hand slipped.** **(The whole Natsu reads FT thing was just something for this chapter).**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of The Desk, and enjoyed the last chapter of FT if you read it! *cries some more* Buutttt I'm super hyped for the new anime coming in 2018! (I haven't seen Dragon Cry yet eitherrr heehhhhh).**

 **And don't stop making that awesome content for this fandom!**

 **See ya in the next chapter! ;)**


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